Video Assistant Referee was introduced in the premier league to; ‘help the on-field referees’ and ‘stop to controversial decisions’ made by the referees.

Video Assistant Referee, also known as VAR, was introduced in the premier league to; ‘help the on-field referees’ and ‘stop to controversial decisions’ made by the referees. It was to everyone’s knowledge that the naked human eye after one look can get things wrong, this was definitely witnessed during football games, so VAR was introduced to stop this, however it seems to have done the opposite.

Pundits now at half and full time spend more time now talking about the decisions made by VAR and the people using it, it feels like we have gone backwards. Jamie Carragher and Gray Neville have been extremely vocal about not so much the technology, but how it is being used. We are now seeing players get ruined off-side because of their boot size or one decision that was very controversial was when Roberto Frimino armpit was said to be offside in the build-up to a Liverpool goal vs Aston Villa, when it was seen clearly that Tyrone Mings knee was in front of Friminos body. Pundits were very annoyed by this as; he didn’t even look offside and you can’t score a goal with your armpit so why does it matter. What happened to giving the attacker that advantage?

It is taking the enjoyment out of the game, even the players themselves have come out and said this. They score a goal and there first instinct is to go and celebrate, now it’s almost like they can’t do this and if they do it, the enjoyment is going to be sucked out of them almost immediately. James Milner, who has been playing in the premier league for sixteen years has come out to say he thinks it’s ‘ruining the atmosphere.’ He agreed that it might just be the old school part of him, but he said that “I think there’s still too much debate around VAR. You score, there’s an explosion of noise and then it’s VAR. You wait. Is it a goal?” and then he further goes on to say “If the VAR took away controversy, I’d back it 100 per cent. But we’re still having discussions about VAR. I don’t think many footballers feel differently.”

Every football fan wants to see the right decision’s get given and see it get played by the rules, but this technology and they way it is being used is making people get a sour taste from football, making people lose their love for it. Like football isn’t a game played by people for fun and enjoyment, instead it is being controlled by technology that no one actually at the football game has control over. Instead it is being controlled by someone at Stockley Park. It is also very annoying to fans as they don’t get to hear the conversations between the on-field referee and that referee at Stockley Park. Fans almost feel like they are being disregarded because not only are these ludacris decision’s going against them, they aren’t getting to hear an explanation as to why it went against them. Leaving them in more shock and anger.

All in all, I don’t believe it’s the technology that is the problem, I think it’s the way they are being instructed and told to use it. If it was consistent in the decision’s it is making andactually saw the players as human and not like robots, I think it could be a great addition to the sport we all know and love. However with all the controversy surrounding it at the moment and with the ridiculous hand ball, offside and red card decision’s being made, I think we have a long way to go until it is finalised and I think the premier league implemented way too early for anyone’s liking.

Originally published at Gazette news