Video assistant referee
[1] Following extensive trialling in a number of major competitions, VAR was formally written into the Laws of the Game by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) on March 3, 2018.
[2] Operating under the philosophy of "minimal interference, maximum benefit",[3][4] the VAR system seeks to provide a way for "clear and obvious errors" and "serious missed incidents" to be corrected.
Where the VAR does identify a possible clear and obvious error, there are three possible scenarios:[6] A decision can generally be overturned without an OFR where it relates to a factual matter.
VAR will recommend an OFR where there is a subjective decision to make, such as whether a foul was committed in the first place or whether a red card is warranted for a certain offence.
The OFR takes place in a designated referee review area (RRA), adjacent to the field of play and in public view to ensure transparency.
For example, the English Premier League stations all its VAR teams in the video operation room (VOR) at Stockley Park in London and the German Football Association in Cologne-Deutz.
[11] During its 2022 season, Major League Soccer in the United States created a Video Review Center in Atlanta where all its VAR teams operate.
These include:[13] VAR was conceived by the Refereeing 2.0 project in the early 2010s and under the direction of the Royal Netherlands Football Association (KNVB).
In 2014, the KNVB petitioned the International Football Association Board (IFAB) to amend its laws of the games to allow the system to be used during more extensive trials.
After Blatter was forced out of his post due to an unrelated corruption scandal in 2015, the VAR proposal received a warm reception under his successor Gianni Infantino.
[23] The first professional "non-friendly" game was an official first round KNVB Cup tie between Ajax and Willem II on 21 September 2016.
Although viewers watching the match on television were made aware of the decision, the public in the stadium and, to a lesser extent, the players were confused as to what had happened.
[29][30] Major League Soccer in the United States introduced VAR in competitive matches during its 2017 season after the 2017 MLS All-Star Game on 2 August 2017.
[56] The use of VAR has been credited with assisting the 2018 edition's status as the cleanest World Cup since 1986, after no red cards were issued in the opening 11 games and only four players were sent off in the entire tournament which was the fewest since 1978.
[58] IFAB technical director and former Premier League referee David Elleray stated a belief that the presence of VAR meant that players would know that they would not be able to get away with anything under the new system.
[59] The use of video technology at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup was criticised after several contentious moments involving VAR at the tournament.
[70] In addition, research from the University of Bath found that, on average, "participants thought the ball was kicked 132 miliseconds later than it actually was",[71] proving that the technology at present has issues with accuracy.
[72] Human error has significant social causes as well, as a research study done in Italy found that players with darker skin complexion were "more likely to receive punishment for fouls" with all else held constant.
[78] Initial fears that using the system would lengthen the game considerably have not been confirmed, with every VAR review taking up an average of only 80 seconds.
[79] The dramatic increase in the number of penalties awarded at the 2018 World Cup has been attributed to VAR catching fouls which would otherwise have remained unpunished.
Of the 169 goals scored in the tournament, 22 were from penalty kicks (with 29 being awarded in total), beating the previous record of 17 set in the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
[83] Use of VAR has actually been shown to increase playing time in both the first and second half, while not significantly altering the amount of other variable, such as penalties, offsides, fouls, and goals except for a considerable decrease in the number of offsides in Men's football matches,[84] which could be contributed to video analysis being more reliable than human judgement in these scenarios.
In February 2019, UEFA issued guidance which stated that players who made a "TV-screen" hand gesture should result in a yellow card.
[85] "Excessively using the 'review' (TV screen) signal" is now listed as a caution for which a player may receive a yellow card in the Laws of the Game.
[86] Early uses of VAR in the Premier League, at the beginning of the 2019–20 season, were described as confusing to both coaches and fans with the decision making often inconsistent.
In the match between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool on 30 September 2023, the VAR Darren England made a decision that led to the disallowance of a valid goal scored by Luis Diaz.
England was alleged of losing focus because he had taken an eight-hour flight back from the United Arab Emirates along with Dan Cook, the assistant VAR.
Team-mates Rui Patricio and Conor Coady collided with each other in a game against Liverpool after a delayed offside call allowed play to continue and Fernando Muslera suffered a double leg break after a collision with opposition striker Milan Škoda following a delayed offside call in December 2021.
This technology removes the human error aspect of detecting when the ball has been kicked and placing the lines onto players and to pitch level, making it quicker and more accurate.
