By: Daniel Duque

VAR monitor during a Premier League match.
Photo courtesy of SkySports

When a soccer game is played everyone expects a fair and balanced performance from the referees. In order to avoid injustices, FIFA's referee committee introduced Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in 2016 for testing purposes and in 2018 it was fully introduced by being used during the Russia World Cup. However, this tool has been subject to different controversies that have caused discomfort among supporters.

VAR is a helpful tool that promotes fair game and it has been introduced in leagues and competitions from all around the world, but it is not a perfect invention, it has both pros and cons that will be discussed in this article.

Pros

VAR helps referees make better decisions and fix mistakes. If a referee is not able to see an action or they are not sure about a certain play, VAR is able to help them revise a previous action in order to make a final decision which can be crucial for the development of a game. Before VAR was introduced, referees were not able to reverse their decision, this caused the defeat or elimination of different teams in important tournaments and leagues.

VAR increases the excitement of watching a soccer game. When people watch a match, they expect it to not be boring, VAR increases the excitement as it introduces more dramatic experiences when a referee is watching a replay to make their decision, this is more intense when the action getting revised involves a goal or a possible penalty kick.

Soccer is a sport that requires discipline and VAR is a way to enforce it. Although referees are in charge of making sure each player behaves and maintains discipline during the game, they can miss certain actions that involve bad sportsmanship or aggressive faults against a player. With VAR, players know they will not be able to be aggressive towards an opponent since their action can be reviewed by the referee. VAR promotes fair play between players from both teams.

Cons

In multiple cases VAR is the reason time is wasted. Time is a crucial factor in soccer, when a team is winning, anything that leads to time wasted can negatively affect the outcome of the game. VAR decisions involve close and careful analysis that can take several minutes which delays games. Recently, most matches involving VAR revisions end up in five or more minutes of added time after the 90th minute.

VAR decisions must be unbiased and fair. However, some referees give this tool an incorrect use. Not all referees have the same decisions and even after revising the VAR monitor, they decide to make the wrong decision which may affect teams negatively. VAR revisions involve communication between the referee and VAR officials and these conversations are private. So, there is a chance that referees and officials are biased against a team.

Although VAR helps referees be more accurate with their decisions, this tool is not perfect and it makes mistakes. Wrong decisions made by VAR affect teams and fans negatively as it creates unnecessary controversies. The wrong interpretation from VAR officials can also affect the outcome of a game. VAR is intended to be a tool to make games more fair, but it is not a perfect tool as it can also make mistakes.

A referee's individual decisions are important in soccer as these are fast and straight to the point. However, since the introduction of VAR, referees are relying more on this tool instead of their own skills and training. Referees are usually under a lot of pressure from players and supporters, but revising VAR should only be done when a certain action is confusing for the main and the assistant referees.

VAR is a useful invention that assists referees when they are not sure of something and it promotes fair play. The use of technology helps shape and improve the sport. Despite having its pros and cons. VAR has been a helpful tool in leagues and tournaments around the world.

The Pros and Cons of VAR