VAR

It's a part of grass roots now (I manage a Saturday team). For the most part it's never used apart from when it's a verbal altercation if needed off a challenge that's not deemed bookable

I didn’t know that.

It makes more sense in a grass roots situation I suppose… a stint in the sin in is probably more of a deterrent to a youngster than a booking.
 
Why don't they adhere to the "clear and obvious" mantra that is supposed to govern VAR If your taking 5-10 minutes watching a slow motion replay and having all sorts of lines drawn it blatantly isn't clear and obvious. The way it is implemented in this country has ruined goal celebrations. It needs scrapping completely and just stick with eagle eye.

I think they do in a way if a decision is “clear” but “obviously “ doesn’t benefit the “bigger club” then it’s a no. If it “obviously” benefits one of them the answer is “yes”
 
This is about the only way I think they could make it worse! Imagine we were in an important game and they checked a goal against us for offside and they're sat in Stockley Park watching the striker punch the ball into the net but he's not allowed to say anything because it wasn't what he got asked to check we'd be raging!

I think that they should not have the power to influence the ref at all.

I think that their powers on decision making , pens, red cards etc should be limited to.

Recommendation for ref to check monitor.

No verbal communication while he’s doing so, just a simple “please review the footage”

The ref can make the call without his mates commenting on what they’re looking at.

Then the ref can change his mind if he likes without any pressure and can make the right call as he sees it.

If he has missed something or not seen something then that’s what VAR should help with. Give him the info he needs to make the right call. Not all the BS comments as he’s looking at it which will definitely be influencing him as he is watching
 

I think that they should not have the power to influence the ref at all.

I think that their powers on decision making , pens, red cards etc should be limited to.

Recommendation for ref to check monitor.

No verbal communication while he’s doing so, just a simple “please review the footage”

The ref can make the call without his mates commenting on what they’re looking at.

Then the ref can change his mind if he likes without any pressure and can make the right call as he sees it.

If he has missed something or not seen something then that’s what VAR should help with. Give him the info he needs to make the right call. Not all the BS comments as he’s looking at it which will definitely be influencing him as he is watching
I'd go further, it should be the on field ref who needs to ask for help from VAR, say if he was unsighted or he didnt catch all of an incident or if it was a close thing and he wants a second look. Even as you suggest, there is a subliminal message to the on field ref they have got it wrong and their review of the footage is tainted/biased.

The long and short of it is, they dont want it to work properly, they want it to work in the way that suits them,
 
I'd go further, it should be the on field ref who needs to ask for help from VAR, say if he was unsighted or he didnt catch all of an incident or if it was a close thing and he wants a second look. Even as you suggest, there is a subliminal message to the on field ref they have got it wrong and their review of the footage is tainted/biased.

The long and short of it is, they dont want it to work properly, they want it to work in the way that suits them,
But how does a ref know what he didn’t see?
As Rumsfeld said, there are known unknowns, and unknown unknowns.
 
But how does a ref know what he didn’t see?
As Rumsfeld said, there are known unknowns, and unknown unknowns.
say there is another player that was between the ref and the incident, perhaps the ref was looking the other way but hears a scream and a player going down off the ball, perhaps the ref thinks the ball was close to a hand but couldn't quite see, perhaps the ball was close to the line and the ref wanted to check whether it had gone out. I could go on.
 
It should be a challenge system like the NFL, the managers need to challenge in order for there to be a review, and they’re limited to two per match.

Accommodations could be made for intervention with serious foul play or in stoppage time of the 2nd half.

This would limit the frivolous reviews.
 

I'd go further, it should be the on field ref who needs to ask for help from VAR, say if he was unsighted or he didnt catch all of an incident or if it was a close thing and he wants a second look. Even as you suggest, there is a subliminal message to the on field ref they have got it wrong and their review of the footage is tainted/biased.

The long and short of it is, they dont want it to work properly, they want it to work in the way that suits them,

Yeah that’s a good idea imo.

Ref should make the call and then if he’s got any doubt, he should make the call that he is going to use the monitor to clarify the decision.

They should have a mic and the only dialog that the VAR ref should have is to clarify he is showing the ref the right image/angle for him to make the call
 
say there is another player that was between the ref and the incident, perhaps the ref was looking the other way but hears a scream and a player going down off the ball, perhaps the ref thinks the ball was close to a hand but couldn't quite see, perhaps the ball was close to the line and the ref wanted to check whether it had gone out. I could go on.
And those are all valid, but suppose the ref didn’t hear a scream of another player going down off the ball, or was unsighted and never even imagined the ball might have hit someone’s hand…

Of course the ref should be able to ask VAR to double check things for him, but in some cases VAR still needs to be proactive rather that waiting until the ref asks.
E.g. it’s a clear handball or a clear foul, but the ref is unsighted, so has no idea it might have happened. VAR KNOWS it was a handball/foul, but just assumes the ref knows about it and has allowed play to continue unless he specifically asks VAR.
To implement VAR successfully, VAR needs to be able to bring things to the referees attention rather than waiting to be asked.

What seems to be going wrong more and more often is the VAR officials making decisions for the ref, rather than assisting him and calling to attention anything the onfield ref might have missed.
 

Top