It is well-known that the previous situation had become intolerable. The officiating errors during a match were piling up and people had stopped feeling that there was fairness in the sport. Hence, the decision to incorporate technology to resolve some of the issues was quite justifiable. However, after a number of «mishaps» it is a question now whether the implementation of VAR made things even worse. Which makes the question of implementing Football Video Support would follow the same course and become unreliable.
It’s not the system, it’s the people
There have been enough incidents to warrant the concern. Goals that should have counted but were actually disallowed. Handballs that should have led to penalties were not given. Actions that should have led to red cards and sent-offs were not called. And that’s just for the 4 reasons that VAR can actually intervene and change the decision of the referee.
The example of David Coote and his clear demeanor against a certain club can easily manipulate a match without VAR ever intervening. All that’s needed is to stay away from the 4 cases that VAR can actually intervene. And lately, a new issue emerged. A Bulgarian official was spotted browsing through an online betting site right before the match that he was supposed to assist kicked off is a clear indication. How can he be trusted to be impartial if he has an active interest on any aspect of the match?
Is it only a matter of communication?
Many of the «mishaps» that we described above were attributed to «bad communication» between the referees and the VAR officials. Hence, more and more people demand that the exchange of messages between the two are made public. A first decision on the subject has already been taken with the adjustment to the rules that made that every discussion should be clear and beyond doubt. But is this step enough?
And how can cases like the manipulations outside the score or like the Bulgarian official’s be handled? If the answer to the first question is rather simple, the one to the second is not. For the first «offense» it is enough to make the scope broader. But for the second it would require legislative changes to allow for psychological screening and other measure that for most countries are quite illegal.
VAR, Solution vs Worry = Fairness vs Interests
People want fairness. When they want to invest their money by opening an account at the best betting software, they want to know that all sporting events are handled fairly. However, in all sorts of professional endeavors, there’s a lot of money to be made and a lot of interests for profit that get compromised if fairness is applied. It’s time to make a decision. Either one or the other. There is no middle way.
