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[Football] How to fix VAR ?



Molango's visa

Molango's visa
Sep 7, 2007
192
London, UK
30 second rule. The VAR has 30 seconds to decide whether to change the on field decision. If they can't make a call within 30 seconds then the on field decision stands.

It would mean clear and obvious errors get overturned, but really marginal ones don't. Then pay referees a lot more money and get much better people doing it who give interviews after games explaining their decisions and are held to account.
This. Also VAR decides decisions handled by VAR, rather than advise the ref like Chris Witty advising fatty Johnson. FFS.
 




Deportivo Seagull

I should coco
Jul 22, 2003
4,935
Mid Sussex
Yeah, I loved the way Italy got punished and knocked out after VAR gave the stonewall pen v Ukraine

O hang on....
One of only a few f*** ups. We have as many in one day of premier fixtures. The point is that those operating VAR are incompetent hence the f*** ups. If they aren’t competent to operate VAR then they are not competent enough to referee a game.
 


Kinky Gerbil

Im The Scatman
NSC Patron
Jul 16, 2003
58,023
hassocks
One of only a few f*** ups. We have as many in one day of premier fixtures. The point is that those operating VAR are incompetent hence the f*** ups. If they aren’t competent to operate VAR then they are not competent enough to referee a game.

That's just not true is it?

How about the England games? Three in two games, absolute clangers.

How about the disallowed Scottish goal v Spain?

Pretending it's just an English issue is ignoring the bigger picture.


 


mejonaNO12 aka riskit

Well-known member
Dec 4, 2003
21,541
England
After Mac Allister's thunderbolt was ruled out last season I was so close to just walking out. I just couldn't believe that the game I loved would forensically and deliberately want to overturn something so beautiful.
People will see this as dramatic but it was a key contributing factor to me stopping my season ticket after 21 years. Sometimes there is 1 goal in a game. A moment which should be sheer joy. Un-restricted happiness. We now have to hold ourselves back from celebrating the single moment of jubilation because we know it will more than likely be checked. People will say "i still celebrate" but all i do now is cheer and at the same time say either "i think that's ok" or "hmmmm, we might have been offside there". To me, that is massively disappointing and has taken away what I loved about being in the stadium.

The moment I can't FULLY enjoy a goal, football has lost a huge part of the live experience for me. I still watch completely legally (of course) on tv and i am delighted when we score, but the thing I was paying for, that in stadium experience, has been hugely diluted for me.

Again, that might just be me but I can only see it the way I do. I won't discourage others from going, but it did it for me.

Imagine the Aguero goal with VAR involvement.
 


LamieRobertson

Not awoke
Feb 3, 2008
47,038
SHOREHAM BY SEA
if I heard it correctly there is a meeting today to explore the idea of having VAR involved in more things 🤦‍♂️

I remember someone saying that VAR would put an end to the Monday morning inquest over decisions ..that’s going well

One of the things about VAR currently is those in the stadium being the last to find out a decision compared to the armchair fan
 




Kinky Gerbil

Im The Scatman
NSC Patron
Jul 16, 2003
58,023
hassocks
People will see this as dramatic but it was a key contributing factor to me stopping my season ticket after 21 years. Sometimes there is 1 goal in a game. A moment which should be sheer joy. Un-restricted happiness. We now have to hold ourselves back from celebrating the single moment of jubilation because we know it will more than likely be checked. People will say "i still celebrate" but all i do now is cheer and at the same time say either "i think that's ok" or "hmmmm, we might have been offside there". To me, that is massively disappointing and has taken away what I loved about being in the stadium.

The moment I can't FULLY enjoy a goal, football has lost a huge part of the live experience for me. I still watch completely legally (of course) on tv and i am delighted when we score, but the thing I was paying for, that in stadium experience, has been hugely diluted for me.

Again, that might just be me but I can only see it the way I do. I won't discourage others from going, but it did it for me.

Imagine the Aguero goal with VAR involvement.
I don't get to as many PL games anymore, time and cost doesn't really add up, went Sunday and it just kills the atmosphere and game.

I knew what was going on via a text message rather than anything going on at the ground
 


Commander

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Apr 28, 2004
13,086
London
This may sound a bit OTT, but in such major issues, similar to the breakaway european league that affect all clubs, It may well help if all the main PL fans forums could act in unison.

"We the fans"........ if NSC, BBS, Red Cafe, Blue Moon, LFC Reds, Grand Old team, Kumb, Fighting Cock etc etc all came together with something like an open letter, underpinned by all main forums and/or petition it would make national news and add pressure.

Fact is, what is happening now is getting beyond ridiculous, and its getting worse not better, lots of fans across the board think so and we're powerless to do anything than sit and watch the spectacle of matchday get ruined by inconsistent, unaccountable idiots in the PGMOL and Stockley Park. Theyre sucking the life out of the beautiful game.

That much is "Clear and Obvious"
This is a great idea in theory. My worry is that the main money-spinning Premier League audiences in China etc won't agree. There does seem to be a split among people I know between anti VAR - people who go to games and pro VAR - people who only ever watch on TV.
 






Surrey Phil

Well-known member
Aug 3, 2010
1,483
VAR has to be stopped for now - it doesn't work and is causing so much debate. You shouldn't use something unless it is fit for purpose.

The far bigger issue with VAR though, is if you go to a live match, they don't show any replays, so you have no idea what is going on! Yet if you watch games on TV you do see the replays. There is a danger fans will stop going to live games if VAR continues.
 




Commander

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Apr 28, 2004
13,086
London
Here's my idea...

Do away with Stockley Park. If the onfield ref wants to look at something a bit closer he can get it cued up and go and have a look. Not perfect but seems less complicated - and keeps one man in charge.
The problem would that would be the players going mental and surrounding the referee, demanding he looked at the monitor every time something remotely contentious happened. You'd have to restrict each team to one appeal per half or something.
 




highflyer

Well-known member
Jan 21, 2016
2,445
It is (and always was) fundamentally flawed in two ways.
.
Firstly it assumes that getting decisions perfectly 'right' is both possible and desirable. This is wrong. It isn't possible. And in reality it is far more important to make the game entertaining than to make it 'correct'. That is all it is and all it should be. Entertainment.

Secondly, I assume that the assumption when brought in was that games would be refereed in the same way, but with the added back-up of VAR to reverse the really obvious mistakes. But what is now clear is that it changes the way that games are refereed 'live'. Human nature dictates that referees will shy away from any decision they aren't sure about, assuming that VAR will make the call for them. I don't think that was predicted and I don't think it can be changed. Human nature is human nature, no matter how much training you are given. So I do NOT agree that the problem is less the technology and more the people using it.

Ideally bin it. For these reasons + the fact that the vast majority of fans would say 'bin it' and we are supposed to be important in some way.

If you can't bin it, (and the only reason I can see that 'there's no going back' is ego and pride at the top of the game) then I'd agree with the two suggestions:

1. 15 seconds for the VAR to 'buzz' the referee to get them to stop the game and go and look at the monitor if they think it's obvious there has been a cock up. 15 seconds after the incident, if no buzz, then that's it, it stays with the on field decision. Forever.

2. It is still the referee that makes the decision - the ONLY thing VAR can do is tell them to take another look.

Do NOT go down the rugby/cricket route, with explanations, miked up refs, limited number of appeals etc. Both of those games are 'stop-start' sports, already consisting mainly of farting around and therefore can't be ruined by a bit more farting around. Also nobody actually understands the rules of rugby, so explanations aren't a bad idea. Football is a completely different game.
 


Uh_huh_him

Well-known member
Sep 28, 2011
10,946
There needs to be a thorough review of the laws of the game in the light of the new technology.

The laws for Offside and Penalties were written when the only technology available were two sets of eyes.
These laws were introduced and tweaked over the years, to prevent unfair advantages being gained.
VAR has changed the landscape completely. Unintended advantages/disadvantages are being exposed and ruining the game


There needs to be a sensible debate, between refs, administrators, fans, players and coaches.
Answering the question: "What do we want from these laws, now we have VAR".
The laws need to reflect the spirit of the original laws, not the capability of technology.

I would personally prefer a similar approach to Tennis and Cricket, where each team have the opportunity to invoke VAR calls.
Coaches would have 1 specific check per game available to them. They keep it if they are found to be correct, or lose it if not.
The refs need a clear guideline on what constitutes a "clear and obvious error."

Giving ownership of VAR checks to the coaches, takes the pressure off the refs and gets them to focus on standardising their decisions.
 


Commander

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Apr 28, 2004
13,086
London
Somebody please do a simple VAR - yes or no poll.

Then join all other Premier League club boards and do the same.

Then go to the FA with the results.
 




PILTDOWN MAN

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Sep 15, 2004
18,749
Hurst Green
Offsides should be objective - you are either onside or offside (even if it is your big toe). If we really want consistency, then the rules must be clear.
It can't be as there's not the tech to finitely show when the ball is kicked, therefore the rest is guesswork. Who wants an offside by an inch, plain stupidity and ruining games. Offside should be simply, that is seen by the naked eye.
 


Si Gull

Way Down South
Mar 18, 2008
4,417
On top of the world
Somebody please do a simple VAR - yes or no poll.

Then join all other Premier League club boards and do the same.

Then go to the FA with the results.
FA will say 'Thanks, but no thanks. We didn't introduce VAR for the benefit of pesky attending fans. Now toddle off and buy another TV channel subscription so you can watch football the way we want you to'.
 




Giraffe

VERY part time moderator
Helpful Moderator
NSC Patron
Aug 8, 2005
26,646
It can't be as there's not the tech to finitely show when the ball is kicked, therefore the rest is guesswork. Who wants an offside by an inch, plain stupidity and ruining games. Offside should be simply, that is seen by the naked eye.
Yep, should be one quick glance, is it obviously offside, no, crack on. Same as the lino had.
 




Krafty

Well-known member
Apr 19, 2023
1,782
It can't be as there's not the tech to finitely show when the ball is kicked, therefore the rest is guesswork. Who wants an offside by an inch, plain stupidity and ruining games. Offside should be simply, that is seen by the naked eye.
I don't remember any issues with the offside technology during the World Cup, surely the same technology could be implemented in the Premier League?
 


Thunder Bolt

Silly old bat
I have come to believe that the PL and Sky and BT actually want all the added drama and controversy that VAR brings, it's become part of the football product that they pay for and market. You constantly hear commentators saying gleefully "ooooh, VAR will take a look at that". VAR is for the TV audiences, they really don't care about the supporters watching live. And the PL and PGMOL are not at all invested in making it work properly.

It needs a boycott - UK wide, every PL team, on the same weekend. But I think we know that's not going to happen.
Sky Soccer Saturday were decrying the ludicrous time taken at Bournemouth (v Burnley) where it took over 5 minutes to decide if a player was offside. Nobody in the studio was saying 'Oooh what drama we have'.
VAR officials were actually arguing with each other.

 


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