18 Nov 2023 07:39:08
{Ed's Note - sgynwa has posted a new article entitled, My 2 cents on VAR technology and football

1.) 18 Nov 2023
18 Nov 2023 13:34:05
The fault with VAR isn't in the technology, but in the hands of the people implementing it and those who write the legislation around its use.

Three things are needed to improve VAR.

Firstly, you cannot implement a new technology without reviewing and changing the previous legislation. Simply put, the two might not be compatible.
Set out the parameters for the new technology. When and where should it be used and for which decisions. Then review which rules it will be used to enforce and decide if they need adjusting to work with the new technology.

Secondly, make sure the use of the technology is consistent and repeatable. You simply cannot have one situation reviewed in one game, but a similar one not reviewed in another. That isn't a fault with the technology, or even the rules of the game, but in how officials are inconsistently implementing it. Maybe officials get too much stick, but when they are applying the rules differently to similar situations then that is on them and they have to take responsibility for those errors.

Finally, everything need regular, systematic reviews to find inconsistencies and faults so they can be address and brought to a resolution. That might be rewriting a rule, or retraining the officials, or maybe even removing VAR from a particular decision making process if it cannot be consistently applied due to inherent subjectivity.

VAR shouldn't be about removing all mistakes in decision making process. Mistakes are inherent in any aspect of human life. The managers make mistakes, the players make mistakes, and the officials make mistakes. It should be about limiting errors where possible, and not trying to fix everything.

We need to remember why VAR was introduced. It was about stopping the clear and obvious errors that took away from the enjoyment of the game. It should be about making the game more enjoyable by removing that bitter taste in your mouth at the final whistle after a clear error has cost your team points by impacting the result.

Long reviews that keep fans in the dark only to still come out with the wrong decision is removing enjoyment from the game.

For me the real problem with VAR is that it is being applied by the only group of people within football that didn't want it introduced in the first place. The match officials. It's difficult to get people to engage with something when they actively don't want to. Given that the failure or success of VAR will heavily depend on those people it is clear why it keeps being misused or applied incorrectly.

While clarity on how it should be used and adjustments made to legislation are required to avoid inconsistencies and improve the flow of the game. The big issue is getting officials on board and applying its usage evenly and consistently across matches.

2.) 18 Nov 2023
18 Nov 2023 14:28:25
Var lines for offside should be a 30cm band. If it is that close, then play on!

3.) 18 Nov 2023
18 Nov 2023 16:13:46
Dodgy, the automated offside technology works perfectly. No need to have to use VAR at all.

The only issue is the technology cannot say whether that player was in "active" play. That would be down to an official to decide after the technology has flagged the offside. However, if it was me I'd do away with the active play rule altogether.

If anyone other than the 22 players and the referee walks onto the pitch regardless of where the ball is, or stage of play the game is stopped as that person is deemed to have entered the active play zone. i. e. the pitch. If it's a member of the coaching staff or players from the bench then they get booked.

So if the manager stepping across the touchline is a bookable offensive because he is in active play, then the idea than any of the players on the pitch aren't "active" is redundant. Of course they are active, they don't need to be in the keepers eyeline, or even touch the ball. Just by being there the opposition will have to consider them a threat and factor that into the decisions they make which do effect play.

If you are offside then you've made a mistake and if that costs your team then it costs your team.

4.) 18 Nov 2023
18 Nov 2023 16:51:46
Rangers, no one wants to benefit from another club receiving a punishment.

However, the rules should be followed and there should be consequences for breaking the rules.

For me there is absolutely no difference between a club having an organised doping program giving their players performance enhancing drugs. And intentional breaking financial regulations to gain an unfair advantage over the opposition.

In both cases the ones adhering to the rules are being put at a disadvantage to those cheating.

Cheating is cheating, whatever way you cut it.

If any team is found to have cheated in any way whatsoever they should be suitably punished in line with the level of cheating and the advantage they've gained.

If the rules are not going to be upheld then remove them all and even the playing field.

5.) 18 Nov 2023
18 Nov 2023 17:14:14
I can’t agree that performance enhancing drugs is on the same level of cheating as you put it, one is nothing like the other, performance enhancing drugs is the individual that’s not what these cases are about, this is about how money is distributed and is it bending of the rules or manipulation of the poorly set rules.

I don’t for 1 minute you can even put the two in the same area, you might as well say players rolling around feigning injury is the same then as that’s a form of cheating if your lumping them altogether as you are….

6.) 18 Nov 2023
18 Nov 2023 19:31:09
How do you know the exact moment a ball leaves a player's foot though? An offside call is never going to be 100% accurate.

7.) 18 Nov 2023
18 Nov 2023 21:50:05
The active player concept does create some subjectivity. Let's face it, at every free kick nowadays, some of the attackers start in an offside position. Why? Surely, it's in order to alter the defensive set up in some way. Therefore, a player intentionally starting in an offside position could quite properly be considered active, even if he doesn't actually go for the ball or interfere with or obstruct a defender. It would be easy to make a rule change to cover this: at the time the free kick is taken all the attacking players must be in an onside position.

However, imagine the uproar if goals start getting disallowed just because one player strays into an offside position during the play when they are clearly not affecting the outcome e.g when a direct shot comes in from outside the penalty area and there's a forward who is not being defended and is not obstructing the goalkeeper's view but is in an offside position. Or if a cross comes in, an offside player goes to head it, misses it, only for an onside player to head it in? Normally that goal will be given, but should it be if a defender was marking the offside attacker? Surely he's active if he's dragging a defender with him? There's always going to be some subjectivity there.

8.) 18 Nov 2023
18 Nov 2023 22:44:49
For me the issue is with the rulemakers. They have tried to legislate for everything in order to get consistency. What has happened however is that rules such as handballs and offside have now become more and more complicated.

The second issue is the media especially ex professionals. They do not understand the law and therefore revert to giving am opinion on laws 20 years ago as they understood it when they played.

The media is then reporting these influential ex professional as saying the ref has got it wrong when in fact they have it right. The refs are then lambasted rather than focusing on the real which is the law itself.

9.) 19 Nov 2023
18 Nov 2023 23:32:33
The bottom line is that var was supposed to remove the subjectivity out of decision making. It hasn't. Therefore, what is the point?

10.) 19 Nov 2023
18 Nov 2023 23:54:36
They have not become more consistent. Total rubbish. Unless you mean that sky blue players can't be offside.

11.) 20 Nov 2023
20 Nov 2023 10:55:55
The idea was to eliminate clear and obvious errors, not re-referee the game using the finest of margins.

I don't like it at all and I wish they'd just bin it. However, now it's here the problem is it's just being over used.

12.) 20 Nov 2023
20 Nov 2023 12:48:33
Champions League offside technology should be implemented in PL, it would make things much easier.
Also, if we have goal line technology, I don't understand why there isn't line technology for out? We had goal disallowed against Brighton, Liverpool got their goal last gameweek, although, as well as Newcastle against Arsenal. And none of the decisions was quite obvious.
Next thing is subjective decision making by the refs. How in hell we didn't get penalties against Spurs and Palace? Obvious handballs, which were given in similar situations, but not given to us.
Also, how did we not get a penalty against Arsenal, for that Gabriel wrestle move, but City got theirs against us and against Chelsea for far less?
Yes, I am not satisfied with the decision making in our matches this season (obviously), but my point isn't that we should get suspicios decisions going our way all the time, the point is consistency, every team should get fair decisions, if it is a handball, it is a handball, be it Luton or City. Some teams simply have too much going their way, even when it shouldn't.