VAR – how it affects football results
VAR changed the whole football world. Unfortunately, many people believe that with the introduction of technology it will solve all problems in football and there will be no wrong judgment. Nothing like that. VAR is like electronic cigarettes compared to regular cigarettes. Solves one problem, but a bunch of other ones appear.
The biggest problems are in England, where the system was first introduced this season. It has been used in home tournaments in the past, but in the Premier League it has been tested for the first time and so far the results have been catastrophic.
What is VAR (video assistant referee)
It is important to clarify exactly what the system is and how it works. VAR in English means Video assistant referee. This is a referee of a football association of a country that reviews disputed decisions made by the referee of a particular match.
Viewing is done in a video room called VOR (Video operation room). There are dozens of screens on it from which different controversial situations in a football match are viewed from different cameras. This room is not located in the stadium, and there is a whole team working in it.
Each situation is viewed from different angles. It only monitors disputed situations where there was an offside, penalty or red card and were or were not correctly judged. For example, if there is a wrong corner or a throw-in, there is no way the VAR can interfere, because it is not a very important event. The team against who is the set piece may react after the situation.
The system only intervenes for the most important events that can solve the game, but the goal is to use as little as possible to avoid interrupting the game.
Which leagues use VAR
Each season, VAR begins to enter more and more championships. It is logical for the richest and most developed leagues to use it first. Currently, VAR is used in 34 countries, some of which have VAR’s in lower divisions. The better known ones are:
- Brazil – Campeonato Brasileiro;
- Belgium – First Division A;
- China – Super League;
- Croatia – First League;
- Czech Republic – First League;
- Denmark – Super League;
- Egypt – Premier League;
- Bulgaria – First League (only in some stadiums);
- England – Premier League;
- France – Ligue 1;
- Germany – 1st and 2nd Bundesliga;
- Greece – Super League;
- Israel – Premier League;
- Italy – Serie A;
- Netherlands – Eredivisie;
- Poland – Extraclass;
- Portugal – Primera Division;
- Russia – Premier League;
- Spain – La Liga and Segunda Division;
- Switzerland – Super League;
- Turkey – Super League;
- US and Canada – Major Soccer League.
The influence of VAR in the English Premier League and in other countries
We have already written that this season in England VAR is a disaster and its impact not only on football results, but on the whole game is bad. The purpose of the VAR was to make football clear of mistakes, but thinking about it in practice is not possible.
In this sport, players have always made mistakes at one point in the games and there will always be mistakes. If there were no mistakes, there would be no goals. The players go wrong, the coaches go wrong, the scouts go wrong, the owners go wrong, the referees go wrong, this is the magic of the game. Everyone is wrong in life overall and makes mistakes.
Currently in England, VAR is used in its purest form, which means entirely as per the rules. When there is a disputed violation, the referee does not go to the screen but is informed by the room that the situation should be reviewed. At these moments, absolutely no one knows what is going on except the people in the room. On television, repetitions of situations are sometimes shown and sometimes not.
This review of each goal greatly spoils the atmosphere, the excitement of the game and the thrill of the game itself. There have been many situations where offsides have taken place. These offsides were because some player’s arm or finger was offside by millimeters and this remains one of the major problems. Former players and coaches came up with suggestions on how to change this rule.
At the same time, there are some situations where there should be a red card or a foul before goal, but they are not judged and then people ask themselves what is VAR for in such situations.
Some of the explanations after the apparent errors of VAR after the matches themselves, are ridiculous and the system is currently making more damage than it had before it was introduced in England.
The other championships are different. There, if there is a clear error, the referee does not consult with other referees, but goes and examines the situation on the screen, with which he fully assumes responsibility for everything.
Which is right is not clear, and it probably won’t ever be, since football is a subjective game. The rules are subjective, it is normal for referees and VAR to also have decisions that are adopted differently and that the situations themselves are different in terms of point of view.
Can we use the system to our advantage for bets – Betinum’s opinion
When making football predictions each analyst from the Betinum team takes into account the impact of VAR on a particular football match and how that would change its eventual outcome.
In order to use the system in any way, we need to know exactly how it affects football results, and it affects each time differently, so the answer here is rather, no. It is logical to have fewer goals, because when a goal is scored, it is always checked by VAR and the chance of being canceled is much higher.
From there on, everything is unpredictable. Penalties may be given because of VAR and may be canceled. Offsides may be sentenced, because of VAR and may be canceled in certain specific situations. One thing is for sure, though. VAR is a reality and is already part of the game. How and how much will change over the years and how the rules will change over time remains a mystery.
Undoubtedly, football will never be the same. We are living in a digital age, and it was clear that at one point technology would take over our favorite game.
We can only hope that this will not affect too much emotion, excitement and most of all the passion of the game, but at the same time it would be used as rationally as possible to support more fair football results.