VAR in Soccer: Transforming Decisions and Redefining the Beautiful Game

What is var soccer?

VAR is a Video Assistant Referee. It is used to support the referee in the field with the use of reviewing the incident in the field with the help of technologies. It is used in sports, especially in the football or soccer Match. To make the game fair, var in soccer is used video footage and technology to review the incident which is missed out judged by the referee in the field, and assist the referee by reviewing the specific incident.

Video Assistant Referee(var in soccer) was first introduced in 2012 in a friendly match between Italy and Netherlands. Soon after that, the International Football Association approved the VAR in 2016. VAR was used in the FIFA Confederation Cup 2017 held in Russia. Then, VAR was used in the world cup in 2018 held in Russia. After the successfully used of VAR in the world cup 2018, VAR started using it in many leagues such as the English Premier League, and La Liga. But many people are not satisfied with the VAR decision because VAR disrupts the flow of the game and some crucial incidents are not reviewed.

What is the var used to Review?

VAR is used to review and check every angle which the referees missed to give the righteous decision in the field.

Some of the most important to review by the VAR are;-

Goals: VAR is used to check the offside positions of the players, fouls, or event handballs.

Penalty Decisions: The VAR checks the penalty decision given by the referee which is the right decision or not.

Red Card Decisions:

To give a righteous decision on the Red shown by the referee, VAR is used to review the incident.

Mistaken Identity:

Sometimes, the referee could not identify the fouls in the game, so VAR helped them by reviewing the exact incident.

Other Important Decisions:

Besides, VAR is used to review other crucial decisions that may have been missed by the referee, such as potential fouls or handballs.

What are the benefits and disadvantages of VAR in soccer?

A lot of controversy has been made after the introduction of VAR in football. There has been A survey of fan’s survey found that 63.3 % against the use of VAR in soccer. They considered using VAR to be very poor from their experience. In 2017, the Football Supporters’ Association conducted a survey that found that 74.6 % of fans are happy with the application of VAR. And the rest are not happy at all.

That contrasts with a 2017 survey by the Football Supporters’ Association – prior to VAR’s introduction which found 74.6% of fans favored the use of video referees to support on-field officials with game-changing decisions.

Therefore, VAR has both positive and negative feedback from the fans. Let’s look into the advantages of VAR.

Disadvantages of var in soccer.

Increased Accuracy: The VAR helps the referee to increase accuracy by giving the best decision. Referees sometimes could not identify exactly the incident in the field. VAR is used to review the critical incidents and give clear which has been missed out in the game.

Fairness: VAR was introduced in football to ensure the correct decision should be made. If the decision is correct in the game it means VAR was introduced to create fairness in the game.

Reduced Controversy: Sometimes, a lot of controversy happens without the correct decision by the referees. But VAR has maximized controversy by having recorded and reviewed exactly the incidents.

Critical Moments:

VAR is used to review the match moment such as goals, penalty decisions, red cards. With the help of VAR, referees could solve the decision wisely.

Player Behavior:

A lot of drama might happen in the match, especially when players are not satisfied with the decision. In order to solve those conversely among the player and even fans, VAR gives a decision based on the incident that happened.

Disadvantages of var in soccer:

Disruption of Flow:

One criticism of VAR in soccer is that it delays in giving the decision and this disrupts the smooth flow of the game. This can lead to frustration among the coaches, Players, and fans.

Subjectivity:

Despite the use of technology in the game, there are some decisions that are still subject to interpretation. Referee officials might have different opinions on incidents, which leads to ongoing debates.

Selective Use:

Many people are still doubting VAR because some incidents are reviewed while others are not, leading to questions about its overall effectiveness. Importance incidents such as penalties and red cards are not reviewed. 

Conclusion

Thus In this article var in soccer, We had seen the history of var when it was introduced and what var used in soccer. There are both disadvantages and advantages of using var in soccer. That is we cannot blame but we see how var used in the soccer match really gives a fair match and nothing bias in the game.

But for some reason var has some drawbacks, many say that disrupting the flow of the game and sometimes coaches, plates and fans frustrate the delayed decision by the var. Yes, this is a fact that we could not ignore.

Some relevance Sources

1.https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/65971724

2. https://dispensablesoccer.com/the-history-of-var/