Video nasty
Of the JOHN LYONS reports on the use at the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system Confederations Cup – and its future…
FOOTBALL held back from using technology to help make decisions for a long time – after watching the Confederations Cup we know why.
For while goal-line technology in recent years in the Premier League has been a smooth operation, the use of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system in Russia was, to put it kindly, a bit of a mess.
The idea of bringing it in is to help referees get the big decisions right, but there were some baffling decisions, or non-decisions, at the Confederations Cup.
For those taking a break from footballwatching over the summer, here are a couple of examples where VAR simply failed to do what it was supposed to.
Firstly, Chile’s Gonazalo Jara clearly elbowed Germany’s Timo Werner in the final, won 1-0 by the Germans.
Serbian ref Milorad Mazic used a pitchside screen to watch a replay of Jara’s challenge, and, amazingly, decided it was only a yellow card and not a sending off.
A number of the VAR decisions involved Chile. In their semi-final against Portugal, they were the aggrieved party. Portugal’s West Ham defender Jose Fonte fouled Francisco Silva in the box, but the referee did not award a penalty or, more surprisingly, ask to see the incident again.
ITV were the tournament broadcasters in this country and presenter Mark Pougatch and pundits Lee Dixon and Matthew Upson could barely hide their disdain for VAR.
“You have to say that if this was an exam, it’s a fail,” said Pougatch.
Ex-Arsenal defender Dixon was particularly outspoken and appeared stunned by VAR’s teething problems.
“I feel a bit ashamed,” he said. “Football is the laughing stock now. This tournament has been a shambles with VAR.
“(On the Jara incident) I was joking saying ‘I bet the referee gives him a yellow’. It’s not even a red, it’s a purple. It was so obvious.
“Maybe the referee had left his red card in the dressing room! Other sports must be looking and saying what a joke football is.”
Upson had sympathy with the referees who acted as guinea pigs in the trial.
“In theory, VAR is a valuable tool, but it needs more time,” said the former England centre-back, who scored in the game against Germany at the 2010 World Cup in which Frank Lampard’s shot clearly crossed the line but the ‘goal’ wasn’t given by the officials.
“The referees look like they are stuck. They look as though they have lost confidence in their decisions.
“It takes away from their gut reaction, their natural instinct.”
Perhaps football’s VAR system is simply over-complicated.
Referees can decide whether they want help from the VAR, although other officials, including the video ones, can suggest he uses the technology.
If he does, he has the choice of trusting the VAR’s decision or viewing the footage himself on a screen on the side of the pitch.
Surely, it would be much better if the referee left the decision to the VAR once he has called for their help rather than going to a screen by the side of the pitch where he can be put under pressure by the opposing benches.
Fans at the game and television viewers are also in the dark as to what is happening as they cannot hear any of the conversations or see on a screen what the referee is watching.
One of football’s beauties is its flow. No one wants it to be a stop-start affair like American football – or wait around because there are 17 minutes of stoppage time. However, it would be unfair to say that VAR was a total flop. For example, Pepe thought he had given Portugal the lead in their opening game with Mexico, but the referee ruled it out correctly for offside after consulting with VAR.
And Chile’s Eduardo Vargas had a goal ruled out – for a marginal, but correct offside decision – against Cameroon. He later scored a goal in the same game - which again went to VAR, but this time it was allowed.
So should VAR be in play at next year’s World Cup back on Russian soil?
Pougatch said: “If England are playing in the World Cup next summer and VAR hasn’t
rectified a decision, you won’t hear the end of it – they have to get it right.”
Dixon was again blunt: “They can’t use it as it is now. That was the test and in the World Cup I think it would be a farce.
“Communication between the referee, the guys upstairs and the people watching has to be improved.”
Will it be in place next summer? Pougatch wasn’t so sure as ITV’s coverage came to an end. “(FIFA president) Gianni Infantino is not stupid,” he said. “He must realise how everyone is saying it has not done the job it was supposed to do.”
Yet it appears the FIFA chief was watching a different game to the rest of us, as he appears determined to have VAR operational at the World Cup come what may.
“Nothing is standing in the way of using VAR, as far as I’m concerned,” said Infantino. “So far it has been successful. We are learning, we are improving, we are continuing the tests.
“We need to work still on some of the details, on the communication and the speed of the decisions being taken.
“Without VAR, we would have had a different tournament, and a tournament which would have been a little less fair.”
Renowned former referee Pierluigi Collina, chairman of FIFA’s referees committee, also takes the glass half-full view. “The VAR is a very positive tool for the sport as it helps referees avoid committing mistakes,” said the Italian.
“That is what has happened during this competition, and I share the view of the FIFA president: we are very happy with the results.
“We are aware we can improve, but it would be very surprising after so few matches if it was perfect.”
So, it seems certain VAR will be at the World Cup next year. Let’s just hope it works better than at the Confederations Cup. Otherwise, it could end up creating as many problems as it solves…