By Robbie Butler
I have written extensively about VAR. I remain opposed to its use in football. I believe it has fundamentally changed the game and the way it is consumed.
Most of us do not know what it is like to consume the game as a professional player. It must be incredible to be part of top football leagues and compete weekly, whilst getting paid. I can only imagine the impact VAR has had on the enjoyment of those playing professionally in the game. This also extends to others professionally employed by the game such as managers, coaches and support staff.
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou gave a brilliant interview which endorsed what I have been saying for some time. Last week he said: “No doubt, it's not the game I loved… I am falling out of love with the game because I love celebrating goals. I paid a high price for it [against Chelsea]. I'm paying a massive price for it, but I'll make sure I won't do it again."
That is what VAR has done. People have stopped celebrating goals. I could not think of a more fundamental change to consuming the game.
I am guilty of this. I don’t celebrate when my team scores but wait. It is the risk aversion in me. Talk about killing the game.
Because that is what it is. A game! I fear those in charge have lost sight of this. I am not sure whether this is intentional or not, but “drama” is what seems to be important rather than the original concept – deciding which team was best.
When the Sheffield Rules were written in 1858, I imagine nobody in the room could have conceived of VAR. Those rules – or laws as they have become – were not scientific, but guidelines as to how the game should be played. What exists now is a ‘product’ for television, with little interest in the application of common sense.
One really has to wonder how VAR can be used so poorly. This is acutely true of the English Premier League, with poor use ranging from very strange decision-making to actual misapplication of the rules. The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) put the incident down to "significant human error".
The most recent PGMOL apology came last. Both the match official and VAR failed to issue a red card to Everton’s James Tarkowski for the tackle below. Every pundit, player, manager and ex-referee I have heard from agreed that the tackle constituted serious foul play. This means it should have seen the Everton centre-back’s punishment upgraded, from an original yellow card to a red card via VAR review.
The referee does not have the benefit of a replay – unless told otherwise by the VAR – so when the VAR looked at this, the question is how did he, and he alone, judge this to be not a “clear and obvious error”? Only the VAR, Paul Tierney, can answer this question.
I have written extensively about VAR. I remain opposed to its use in football. I believe it has fundamentally changed the game and the way it is consumed.
Most of us do not know what it is like to consume the game as a professional player. It must be incredible to be part of top football leagues and compete weekly, whilst getting paid. I can only imagine the impact VAR has had on the enjoyment of those playing professionally in the game. This also extends to others professionally employed by the game such as managers, coaches and support staff.
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou gave a brilliant interview which endorsed what I have been saying for some time. Last week he said: “No doubt, it's not the game I loved… I am falling out of love with the game because I love celebrating goals. I paid a high price for it [against Chelsea]. I'm paying a massive price for it, but I'll make sure I won't do it again."
That is what VAR has done. People have stopped celebrating goals. I could not think of a more fundamental change to consuming the game.
I am guilty of this. I don’t celebrate when my team scores but wait. It is the risk aversion in me. Talk about killing the game.
Because that is what it is. A game! I fear those in charge have lost sight of this. I am not sure whether this is intentional or not, but “drama” is what seems to be important rather than the original concept – deciding which team was best.
When the Sheffield Rules were written in 1858, I imagine nobody in the room could have conceived of VAR. Those rules – or laws as they have become – were not scientific, but guidelines as to how the game should be played. What exists now is a ‘product’ for television, with little interest in the application of common sense.
One really has to wonder how VAR can be used so poorly. This is acutely true of the English Premier League, with poor use ranging from very strange decision-making to actual misapplication of the rules. The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) put the incident down to "significant human error".
The most recent PGMOL apology came last. Both the match official and VAR failed to issue a red card to Everton’s James Tarkowski for the tackle below. Every pundit, player, manager and ex-referee I have heard from agreed that the tackle constituted serious foul play. This means it should have seen the Everton centre-back’s punishment upgraded, from an original yellow card to a red card via VAR review.
The referee does not have the benefit of a replay – unless told otherwise by the VAR – so when the VAR looked at this, the question is how did he, and he alone, judge this to be not a “clear and obvious error”? Only the VAR, Paul Tierney, can answer this question.
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