VAR HAS ROLE TO PLAY IN LOWER LEAGUES
VAR has been the subject of much debate, especially in light of the penalty incident in Germany when the teams were brought back out at ‘half-time’ to take a penalty that the ref saw on his playback.
My mind is turning though to how VAR might support lower league football. Leagues One and Two do not have the vast resources of the Premier League, nor the greater riches of Championship football, but decisions are just as important to get right.
So this is what I would like to see introduced.
It would be affordable and perfectly possible for the fourth official to be given live access to the match footage as the game happens.
And it would be totally possible for the ref to review footage upon request from a manager via the fourth official.
I would propose that each manager should be given just one review per half which he keeps on a correct appeal and loses on a failed appeal.
The footage may or may not help, but it would alleviate a lot of frustration if a 60-second footage review could be used by the referee when requested by a manager at the end of the passage of play in question.
VAR does not have to reside solely at the World Cup. We all deserve the chance to improve decision-making where possible.
Decisions can be expensive, one way or the other.