VAR’s far from perfect but let’s stick with it
Refereeing decisions have been in the headlines in the past few days, and some of the calls have left me baffled. But I will not blame VAR, and I do not want to see it taken away. I want it in play for next season. However, one crucial change that has to be made is the decisions must be made by the match official on the park – not someone watching a television screen at Stockley Park. Last midweek, Arsenal’s Eddie Nketiah was booked by referee, Chris Kavanagh, for a high tackle on Leicester City’s James Justin. But the whistler then decided to review his decision, and after checking the pitchside monitor, he thought a straight red card was more appropriate. It was so refreshing to see the person on the park take control of a situation, and call it. That’s all down to one person’s opinion, and we have to allow for that. Other decisions can be matter of fact, such as whether the ball has crossed the line or not. As Jose Mourinho said, VAR is only there to provide the footage. It is not there to make the call when it comes to a tackle. Overall, it wasn’t a good week for the officials, and the English Premier League admitted to three highprofile mistakes on Thursday night. When it was introduced last summer I thought VAR would have simplified situations for the game of football. Clearly, it hasn’t – but we have to stick with it.