Video Assistant Referee and its ongoing controversy

Almost every major sport has a replay system. The NFL has a replay system, the NHL has an entire war room in Toronto that reviews certain plays. The MLB has a system where coaches can challenge plays, and the umpires can go to video review. One major sport that lacks video assistance is soccer. Video assistant referee (VAR) is a replay system several major soccer leagues use. VAR has been a hot talking point about the sport because of all the different rules.

Goals

The first thing that VAR helps the referee decide is whether a goal should stand or be overturned. A player committing a foul before the goal or a player being offsides are just a couple examples of why a referee could disallow a goal.  This has been one of the most controversial things with the inclusion of VAR. On Feb. 4, a FA Cup game was played between Middlesbrough and Manchester United. In the 63rd minute, a Middlesbrough player controlled the ball with his hand and it led to a goal. VAR confirmed the goal because the player that touched the ball wasn’t the one that scored. This led to people on Twitter questioning the point of VAR. Former Manchester United player Rio Ferdinand, tweeted “What’s the point of VAR…” Broadcaster Piers Morgan, tweeted “We all saw that flagrant handball. VAR is such a pathetic joke.”

Penalty kicks

The second thing that VAR can assist with is deciding whether a penalty kick is justified. On Feb. 26, there was another controversial call in a Premier League game between Everton and Manchester City when City player Rodri controlled the ball with his hand in his own penalty box. According to VAR, the play was not reviewable. This also caused an uproar on social media. Fans on both teams and people talked about whether VAR is a faulty system.

Mitch Mueller, a Division II soccer player at Missouri S&T, said “it’s valid for certain situations such as offsides but when clear and obvious errors such as that handball are missed then you can see why so many people think it’s so bad.”

Red cards

The factor of red cards is a lot more straightforward. This factor, VAR can interfere with the reviewal of a red card and decide if a red card is necessary. There are two ways a player can be shown a red card. The first way is if the player receives two yellow cards they are then shown a red. The second way a player can be shown a red is a straight red card. This is only shown if a player performs an offense that is deemed serious enough to be sent off.    This part of VAR hasn’t been as controversial, but there are still some issues regarding this part of the system.

Sohan Bhawtankar, a FC Barcelona fan, said “it’s a good system for a lot of things, but when you slow stuff down and watch it in slow motion, every tackle will seem like a red card.”

The rule of a direct red card consists of denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity, serious foul play, violent conduct such as biting or spitting and abusive language/gestures. In the 2014 World Cup, Uruguay striker Luis Suarez bit an Italian player, and because the ref didn’t see the incident and there was no VAR, Suarez wasn’t given a red card.

Mistaken identity

The final way VAR can assist the referee is the least controversial. This rule allows the referee to fix any mistaken identity calls. If the referee mistakenly gives a yellow or red card to the wrong player, then VAR can notify the on-field referee so they can change it.

“VAR has been a hot topic here in Spain, a lot of people think it’s a good idea, but if they keep messing things up, then I don’t think it will last,” said Alex Krehl, a player for AD Colmenar Viejo in Madrid.

Video replay systems have been a huge success in sports worldwide, but for some reason, VAR in soccer hasn’t had a positive impact. Even though the system has been beneficial in some situations, it has also been a failure in many situations.