WADE PRETORIUS: Biased technology clouds soccer with contrived VAR

Remember how they sold us the use of “VAR” in the beginning? The use of technology by the video assistant referee to stamp out clear and obvious errors in the game. Multiple screens, every angle, up-to-minute technology, slow motion and everything in between.

The VAR officials sit off the pitch, away from the players mobbing the ref and the other officials and away from the thousands of screaming, shouting and swearing fans baying for a penalty in their side’s favour or better yet, a penalty to the opposition overturned. 

There are supposedly only four instances in which VAR can “assist” the ref in making the correct decision on the pitch. For goals and offences in the build-up, penalty decisions, red cards and even the unlikely mistaken identity cases. 

It’s been around for some time, having been used in the 2017 Fifa Confederations Cup and then it got its first real taste of the action at the 2018 World Cup. And it won’t surprise you that the world’s governing body — themselves almost always a day away from a fresh scandal — deemed it a roaring success. Fewer red cards and correct penalty decisions were among the reasons touted for the success of VAR. But Fifa and their input on the game is a topic for a different column on a different day. 

For those in love with the sport, it’s been just about the worst thing to happen to the professional game. Instead of creating clarity and adding objectivity it’s done the opposite. It’s gone far ahead of itself and added an element of subjectivity on something that should supposedly be objective.

What it has done for most fans is create a yearning for “the good old days” when referees were making the calls without anyone watching over their shoulder. Now, most will agree the refs have a tough job, making calls in the heat of the moment and getting things correct. At least most of the time. It allowed rival fans to banter and argue over refs with bias. And it allowed fans to celebrate in real time too.

Getting worse

Isn’t it terrible when your team scores and you must wait and wait to see if the goal is indeed allowed to stand? The lengthy review system has robbed us of the unmatched joy of cheering and jumping for joy that can only happen “in the moment”.   

We would be able to stomach all the negatives surrounding the impact of VAR on the actual experience of watching football if the technology got things right. But this Premier League season has already been littered with mistakes. And it seems it’s only getting worse. 

Manchester United got out of jail against Wolves in the opening week when the underdogs were wrongly denied a penalty. Last week, Manchester City were allowed a goal shortly before half time against Fulham when VAR incorrectly said that defender Manuel Akanji didn’t interfere with Bernd Leno’s vision just before the Fulham goalkeeper was beaten.

The scenes afterwards were quite a spectacle as Fulham manager Marco Silva rightly questioned the decision. The away players were fuming but eventually got on with it. And that’s how games often turn; it takes one goal to bring another. It takes one incorrect decision to break the back of a side or upset their rhythm. Many will wonder what might have been had VAR denied City that goal. 

You want some salt on the wounds? Even the league’s top scorer, Erling Haaland, said postmatch that the decision would have left him fuming.

Contrived offside

But VAR wasn’t done just yet as it took centre stage during Arsenal’s 3-1 win over Manchester United. The score sounds like quite a beating — and some managers have been sacked for less. Those who watched will remember Alejandro Garnacho’s 89th minute goal that was denied. Was he offside when the through ball was played? Was the VAR offside line drawn in the right place? For anyone viewing the incident it seemed a legitimate goal and even the commentators agreed.

However, VAR intervened and somehow contrived an offside decision. No human eye would have agreed with VAR on that call. 

It seems almost comical that VAR didn’t then suggest Jonny Evans was fouled when Declan Rice put his side 2-1 ahead.

The use of technology works so well in rugby, cricket and tennis where it is far from the main attraction. It feels like we can hardly get through 90 minutes without a result-changing decision by VAR.

VAR has united fans in the quest for a change to the current usage. And these calls are only growing louder. As the international break offers some players a reprieve, fans of the greatest drama show on earth will be hoping VAR intervenes with a little more common sense in future.