Why video technology is VAR from good
Video Assistant Referee (VAR) was brought in to limit mistakes, but at what price has it come to the overall good of the game?
Once again, VAR grabbed headlines at the FIFA World Cup, after a penalty decision for Brazil was overturned in its 2-0 win over Costa Rica.
The officials eventually came to the correct decision, but not before the game was left in limbo while referee Bjorn Kuipers reviewed the incident in the technical area.
There’s nothing wrong with technology used to help referee’s come to the right decision in real time.
Take goal-line technology, which compliments, not detracts from the beautiful game. Referees can determine whether the ball crossed the goal line in realtime and can adjudicate without disrupting the flow of the game.
VAR's frailties were exposed in Australia's 2-1 defeat to France in Group C, when a penalty was awarded for France after Josh Risdon brought down Antoine Griezmann in the box.
Despite review from several angles, pundits still argued over the decision, and Socceroos attacker Mathew Leckie believes VAR shouldn't be used to review contentious decisions.
Goal-line technology has been a revelation and proves there is a place for technology, but it’s clear the current VAR experiment isn’t working as well as it should.
