VAR Is problematic

[airwolex]

It gives refs with bias an easy way of cheating.

Pique deserved a red card and handled the ball twice but no VAR. Linesman calls offside and the fuuul calls for VAR. What an Ahole...so pissed!!!

[cchinukw]

It's too much trouble than it is worth.

[airwolex]

It's too much trouble than it is worth.

I am disgusted with the whole thing. For me the ref was abysmal.

[kajifu]

All VAR have done is cause more players from the big boys to surround the referee questioning every single decision he makes.
#$%$ FIFA,i think Africa and Asian need to withdraw from 2022 if this continue.

[airwolex]

All VAR have done is cause more players from the big boys to surround the referee questioning every single decision he makes.
#$%$ FIFA,i think Africa and Asian need to withdraw from 2022 if this continue.

Ramos ran to him and immediately he nodded saying he was going to check. What a serious joke.

[cchinukw]

It's too much trouble than it is worth.

I am disgusted with the whole thing. For me the ref was abysmal.

Player behaviour didn't help either.

It was a difficult job to do.

[vancity eagle]

I think it has made matters worse, because it is used SELECTIVELY to favor the big teams, while the calls for the small teams are ignored. RUBBISH.

[juventuss]

I think the ball went out leading up to that cross that caused the corner. Notice how Spanish players quickly played the ball. VAR should have been called for that 2 footed challenge. Prepare for tomorrow guys. There will be PKs, there will be VAR and i don't believe it will be equally utilized

[Orion]

From what I understand, the ref is informed by the VAR team that the decision needs to be reviewed if they think it was wrong.

So, yes, from what I've seen so far, VAR is being used to protect the big teams and ensure refereeing mistakes don't go against them. However, if a wrong call is made by the ref and it favours a big team, they're not so concerned.

[RomanusOjinta]

I turned off the Spain game in disgust after the Aspas goal. As vancity says, VAR is being used to fix matches in favour of 'big' teams. It's making me lose interest in international football. If VAR is used to fix a game against Nigeria, I don't think I'll ever bother watching a single world cup match again.

[maceo4]

As long as humans are involved in the process there will be bias and wrong judgement calls. VAR in itself cant protect us, I fear for our game tomorrow.

[Enugu II]

It gives refs with bias an easy way of cheating.

Pique deserved a red card and handled the ball twice but no VAR. Linesman calls offside and the fuuul calls for VAR. What an Ahole...so pissed!!!

I believe VAR is awesome and is welcomed great addition. The problem is not VAR but the current process for implementation. A lot of these can be solved by giving the teams the power to get. VAR review instead of leaving that decision to some faceless guys hidden in some room somewhere.

[txj]

It gives refs with bias an easy way of cheating.

Pique deserved a red card and handled the ball twice but no VAR. Linesman calls offside and the fuuul calls for VAR. What an Ahole...so pissed!!!

I believe VAR is awesome and is welcomed great addition. The problem is not VAR but the current process for implementation. A lot of these can be solved by giving the teams the power to get. VAR review instead of leaving that decision to some faceless guys hidden in some room somewhere.

That comes with its own problems. unless you limit the number of times a team can call for VAR, the game will become a farce.

Many on CE do not understand the process.

If there is a serious infringement, VAR will draw the attention of the ref. Also, all goals are reviewed as are all PK decisions..

While one can question the decision that comes out of the VAR process, the notion that there's a conspiracy on behalf of the big teams is hogwash...

Like you though, I think its awesome...

[deanotito]

It gives refs with bias an easy way of cheating.

Pique deserved a red card and handled the ball twice but no VAR. Linesman calls offside and the fuuul calls for VAR. What an Ahole...so pissed!!!

I believe VAR is awesome and is welcomed great addition. The problem is not VAR but the current process for implementation. A lot of these can be solved by giving the teams the power to get. VAR review instead of leaving that decision to some faceless guys hidden in some room somewhere.

Couldn't have said it better. "VAR" is used in the NFL too but there are rules that govern its use. What FIFA has done is leave too much up to discretion. There need to be rules that say for instance, VAR is always used in "x situation". Leaving things up to referee discretion is no fairer than the way it was before....and would probably lead to an environment in which VAR is scrapped altogether....which I think is the goal of some parties.

Lets define the rules, and live with them.

[charlie]

It gives refs with bias an easy way of cheating.

Pique deserved a red card and handled the ball twice but no VAR. Linesman calls offside and the fuuul calls for VAR. What an Ahole...so pissed!!!

I believe VAR is awesome and is welcomed great addition. The problem is not VAR but the current process for implementation. A lot of these can be solved by giving the teams the power to get. VAR review instead of leaving that decision to some faceless guys hidden in some room somewhere.

I fully agree. I like how they implemented VAR in Baseball or American Football. Each team should get 1 challenge per game to force the Ref to review a contested play. If you lose your challenge, you cant challenge again for the rest of the game (its up to the refs). If you win your challenge, you keep it and can use it again. Challenges are reset during extra time.

Human bias has always been a problem in officiating. VAR helps to reduce the problem, but it doesnt eliminate human bias. Improve VAR, dont do away with it.

[bonecrusher]

It gives refs with bias an easy way of cheating.

Pique deserved a red card and handled the ball twice but no VAR. Linesman calls offside and the fuuul calls for VAR. What an Ahole...so pissed!!!

I believe VAR is awesome and is welcomed great addition. The problem is not VAR but the current process for implementation. A lot of these can be solved by giving the teams the power to get. VAR review instead of leaving that decision to some faceless guys hidden in some room somewhere.

Agreed thanks to VAR, several wrong calls have been overturned or calls which were missed.

However, Iran should have had 2 PKs in this game but the first cry was not reviewed. Not sure why the VAR folks thought it wasnt worth reveiwing

[airwolex]

If there is a serious infringement, VAR will draw the attention of the ref. Also, all goals are reviewed as are all PK decisions..

Herein lies the problem. What constitutes a serious infringement? For me a two footed lunge is one and certainly a handball in the PK. I think you rate yourself too much. The VAR leaves a lot of wiggle room for unconscious bias. The ref could have awarded two PKs to Morocco and reviewed. Instead he turned a blind eye to both. I for one am convinced if it was the other way around he would have awarded the PK and then reviewed it eventually giving it. The first one for me was a definite penalty.

I disagree that VAR has been awesome in this tournament. A number of teams are unhappy with how it has been implemented even within the current rules.

[green4life]

It's too much trouble than it is worth.

That's how I feel as well. Not worth it.

[vancity eagle]

I turned off the Spain game in disgust after the Aspas goal. As vancity says, VAR is being used to fix matches in favour of 'big' teams. It's making me lose interest in international football. If VAR is used to fix a game against Nigeria, I don't think I'll ever bother watching a single world cup match again.

KPOM.

If any funny business goes down, CAF should withdraw from the WC in protest.

In fact any BS goes down on Tuesday and the players should just walk off the pitch.

[green4life]

It gives refs with bias an easy way of cheating.

Pique deserved a red card and handled the ball twice but no VAR. Linesman calls offside and the fuuul calls for VAR. What an Ahole...so pissed!!!

I believe VAR is awesome and is welcomed great addition. The problem is not VAR but the current process for implementation. A lot of these can be solved by giving the teams the power to get. VAR review instead of leaving that decision to some faceless guys hidden in some room somewhere.

The same thought crossed my mind: using the NFL model that gives the coaches 2 review opportunities each half using a red flag. That might work or in theory should help the smaller teams mitigate the concern of selective use to favor bigger / more popular teams.

[cic old boy]

People are always resistant to change. VAR is brilliant. You have to move with the times. If technology is available to improve decision-making, you can't be a dinosaur and be stuck in the past and not use it. Anything new takes time to be embedded. 5 years from now, people would be thinking how did football function without VAR. You just can't let the game continue without VAR where everyone watching TV can see the ref has made a horrendous decision.

[airwolex]

As long as humans are involved in the process there will be bias and wrong judgement calls. VAR in itself cant protect us, I fear for our game tomorrow.

You are absolutely right.

VAR rules

Straight red cards

Violent conduct and dangerous tackles can be penalised using VAR. Second-yellow cards cannot.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-cup/0 ... world-cup/

Two incidents were missed. The Pique one, which did not even get a card and the horror tackle against Iniesta which was in the second half.

All in all, this ref was still horrendous and VAR did not help matters.

[Enugu II]

It gives refs with bias an easy way of cheating.

Pique deserved a red card and handled the ball twice but no VAR. Linesman calls offside and the fuuul calls for VAR. What an Ahole...so pissed!!!

I believe VAR is awesome and is welcomed great addition. The problem is not VAR but the current process for implementation. A lot of these can be solved by giving the teams the power to get. VAR review instead of leaving that decision to some faceless guys hidden in some room somewhere.

That comes with its own problems. unless you limit the number of times a team can call for VAR, the game will become a farce.

Many on CE do not understand the process.

If there is a serious infringement, VAR will draw the attention of the ref. Also, all goals are reviewed as are all PK decisions..

While one can question the decision that comes out of the VAR process, the notion that there's a conspiracy on behalf of the big teams is hogwash...

Like you though, I think its awesome...

That should certainly be part of the deal as it is in American football. I think the technology is awesome but FIFA definitely would have to tweak the process. I would not underestimate a possibility of calls going in favor of the big teams until there is data to indicate that it isn't the case because some of the controversial calls lead to such assumptions.However, I think that the VAR helps to create fairness. For instance, it was VAR demand that led to Ronaldo's YC today and a pk against Portugal that may well not have occurred without the demands for a VAR review. Also note that the conspiracy that people are claiming does not require explicit discussions between the refs and the teams. It might just be psychological where referees make calls, semi-consciously, to meet the ordinary expectations of an outcome.