When VAR was first introduced to the world of football in 2016, there was much debate over whether it would improve the game or ruin it. At the start of the 2019/20 Premier League season, UK fans got first-hand experience of this new technology.
Initial concerns, especially from teams like Tottenham and Manchester United who openly opposed the move, included the potential for games being severely disrupted while decisions were checked, and the potential for it to make games less exciting.
Ask your average football fan what they think of VAR and you are bound to hear some grumbles.
Every team has had goals disallowed or penalties given against them thanks to VAR intervention, so it is bound to be unpopular when these things happen. But fans quickly forget occasions when VAR has saved their bacon.
So with a few seasons of video assistant referees working on Premier League football, what do we think? Is VAR the game ruining monster many supporters decry it to be, or is it actually doing some good?
VAR: What’s the Point?
Controversial decisions have been a part and parcel of football since it began. Relying on one man to be in the right place at the right time all of the time is not exactly a fool-proof system.
There have been some absolutely appalling decisions over the years that have robbed teams of goals, points, and even competitions – Maradona’s famous hand of God incident being a prime example.
So in 2010 some bright sparks began developing VAR, a technology which scrutinised on pitch decisions by millimetres to ensure fairness. That was the hope anyway.
It is used only for “clear and obvious errors” or “serious missed incidents” in the following match-changing situations:
- goals
- penalty decisions
- direct red-card incidents
- mistaken identity
The referee can also request VAR to take a look at something, so it is a two way street.
More often than not, if the ref is asked to check the replay on the monitor he will overturn his initial decision based on closer evidence, but he doesn’t have to. The match referee has the final say, and there have been several controversial decisions referees have stood by despite VAR advising them otherwise.
In a Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton in February of 2021, Dominic Calvert-Lewin was brought down in the box by Trent Alexander-Arnold.
What is it with all these double barrelled names?
Anyway, the referee gave a penalty but the VAR advised a check, with a replay showing that Calvert-Lewin got his shot off way before tripping over Alexander-Arnold. In other words, Trent did not interfere with the shot, which was saved. Nevertheless, the referee stood by his decision, and pretty much everybody in football thought it was a terrible call.
Does it Work?
There were some teething problems in the first few seasons, which seem to be getting ironed out now, but the reputational damage lives on.
Statistics show that 96% of VAR decisions have been correct since its inception to now, and yet, a 2020 YouGov poll showed that only 49% of fans thought VAR had improved decision making. 25% even thought it had made things worse, which is demonstrably wrong.
On the whole, the large majority of video assistant referee decisions have been correct, maintaining fairness on the pitch and helping rather than hindering the on-field referee.
What a lot of fans seem to do, is blame VAR when actually, it’s the rules they have an issue with. Many of them have been tightened.
When Manchester United’s David De Gea saved Jordan Ayew’s penalty in a game against Crystal Palace in September 2020, VAR stepped in. De Gea had strayed off his line by approximately 3 centimetres, which counts as encroachment, and the spot kick had to be retaken.
United fans were understandably furious, and VAR took plenty of abuse. But De Gea was in the wrong, even though it wasn’t by much, so actually VAR made the right call. You might think the rules need to be less strict, but that’s another matter.
VAR works, even when we don’t like the outcome.
Impact on the Game
There’s no denying that VAR decisions are sometimes very difficult to call, and in these instances, the game can be severely disrupted. So yes, VAR does interrupt the flow of the game.
However, it doesn’t happen as often as people think. One study found that based on 9,732 VAR checks made in 2,195 matches across 13 leagues, an average of 4.4 VAR decisions were needed per game.
What’s more, the majority of VAR checks happen in the background without the game being stopped at all. They take 22 seconds on average, but on-field reviews took 62 seconds.
Obviously, as fans we don’t see the checks made in the background, we only see the checks made on the field, and these are the ones that take longer. Our perspective is therefore skewed, and it looks like VAR is slowing things down more than it actually is.
Some people claim that VAR is taking to many goals off the score sheet. Again, this is just not true.
While around 40 goals per season are disallowed after VAR checks, the average number of goals scored per season in the Premier League hasn’t changed at all. In fact, during the 2021/22 season just gone, the average goals per game was 2.81, the second highest since 2015.
The only impact VAR seems to have had that is supported by evidence, is that decisions have become more accurate.
Has VAR Ruined Football?
Based on statistical evidence, there is no way you can make the case that VAR has ruined football. It has undeniably improved the decision making effectiveness of every game in which it has been used.
What it has ruined though, is the ability to emotionally invest in big moments.
If your team needs a goal to stay in the FA Cup and they scuff the ball over the line in the dying minutes of the game, instead of celebrating like a lunatic, your instinct might be to reign it in just in case VAR gets involved. The goal scoring scenario might not be debateable, but if it is, that moment of elation could be lost.
This has led plenty of fans to believe VAR is indeed ruining football:
Has VAR ruined football? 🚫📺
Just wanna check something. 👇
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) November 9, 2023
When you think about it though, your team is now less hard done by than ever before.
Instead of getting mad at referees who make bad calls, fans are getting mad at VAR for making good calls. There will be the odd mistake that trickles through, but on the whole, the risk of being robbed of a goal or a game is much lower now than it ever was before, and we have VAR to thank for that.