Has VAR gone too far?

Has VAR gone too far?

By Oli Dickson Jefford
Arsenal were the final victim of a controversial VAR call after a contentious weekend of Premier League action.
The Gunners thought they had taken the lead when Gabriel Martinelli slotted home in the first half of their match against Manchester United at Old Trafford, only for it to be ruled out for an earlier foul on Christian Eriksen.
The decision was a controversial one - with many questioning whether it was a foul, let alone a clear and obvious error - and whether it could have proven costly for Arsenal in their 3-1 defeat.
However, they were by no means the only club left complaining this weekend.
After seven days of VAR controversy and criticism, what happens next?

A weekend of anger

Martinelli’s disallowed goal was just one of a handful of VAR-related incidents this weekend, with Tottenham, West Ham, Newcastle and Brighton all affected.
The only uncontentious decision was Richarlison’s disallowed strike against Fulham, which was the correct call and had no effect on Spurs’ 2-1 win over The Cottagers.
Though Brighton ultimately cantered to a comfortable 5-2 win over Leicester, it took over four minutes for VAR to disallow Alexis Mac Allister’s stunning effort due to an offside in the build-up.
For West Ham and Newcastle the decisions proved costly, the Hammers denied a point against Chelsea after Maxwel Cornet’s late strike was ruled out due to a soft foul on Edouard Mendy by Jarrod Bowen.
While the Magpies were forced to settle for a 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace after Tyrick Mitchell’s own goal was disallowed in similar circumstances.
Most of those incidents not only riled up the affected clubs and their fans but also drew ire from ex-players and pundits across TV, radio and on Twitter. 

What is going wrong?

The main issue with VAR seems to be the idea that it is only dealing with ‘clear and obvious' errors.
Martin Odegaard’s foul on Eriksen, Bowen’s clash with Mendy and Joe Willock’s clash with Vicente Guaita were not obvious decisions, meaning all three goals in those incidents realistically should have stood.
The other issue was demonstrated with Mac Allister’s goal, purely with the length of time it took to rule that the goal should be disallowed due to an offside player previously interfering with play.
Though it was perhaps the correct decision, the fact that it took four minutes to make that decision calls into question whether that could also be classed as clear and obvious.
Furthermore, another ongoing issue brought to the forefront this weekend was how replays are slowed down.
This is meant to aid the referee’s decision but slow-motion only makes tackles look worse than they potentially were, meaning the decision at times can be skewed.

Has it gone too far?

The recipe to make VAR a success is there and it can have a positive impact, but right now it is too convoluted and complicated.
There should be a time limit - perhaps three minutes - on how long it can take to make a decision, and secondly the ‘clear and obvious’ messaging needs to be reinforced.
VAR is currently suffocating football, but it could easily be so different.
Phot Credit: Getty Images

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