VAR Discussion Thread - 2023/24 | PL clubs to vote on whether to scrap VAR (pg413)

Would you want VAR scrapped?


  • Total voters
    293
  • Poll closed .
I suspect he would get crucified by all the idiot commentators, co-commentators and pundits who tell everyone there was contact so it has to be a penalty.
Exactly the footballers union don't like their own being called cheats. They soon water their initial "gone down easily there" to "he's running at pace - the slightest touch....." and "he's felt a touch, you can't blame him for going down", plus the old favourite, "he's been clever there".
 
then refs simply have no chance.

Finally, we agree. :)

And why do they have no chance? Because, whereas before everyone complained but at least understood how difficult it was, now they are expected to get everything "right" and it is impossible because almost everything is so subjective.

Welcome to the dark side. :D
 
Yes, I used to read Dale Johnson's articles until I saw he gets input from PGMOL, so basically he says what they want, otherwise access withdrawn.

The final straw for me was the Rashford/Fernandes goal when he went with good goal according to the law. No point reading after that.
Without opening that can of worms, a lot of referees came out and said that they could see why technically that was given. We didn't get an apology, but Webb said that, given the reaction from just about everyone who wasn't a referee, it wouldn't happen again.
 
But a ref would have likely have awarded Bruno and Jota penalties without any contact at all, ZERO CONTACT. Like they did pre VAR.

That’s what it would go back too.

All we need now is VAR to clear up that not all contact in the box means a penalty - or even better the onfield ref to check monitor and have the balls to make that decision.


First, you don't know if those penalties would have been given without the VAR "safety net", although they wore red so it's possible.

Second, if you want VAR to say there wasn't enough contact to go down, you are just shifting the endless debates from "was there contact" to "how much contact was there?" That's even more subjective. It's all just a dog's breakfast.
 
Without opening that can of worms, a lot of referees came out and said that they could see why technically that was given. We didn't get an apology, but Webb said that, given the reaction from just about everyone who wasn't a referee, it wouldn't happen again.

Yes, I remember what was said. It didn't make sense then and it doesn't make sense now. My point about Dale Johnson remains, though.
 
First, you don't know if those penalties would have been given without the VAR "safety net", although they wore red so it's possible.

Second, if you want VAR to say there wasn't enough contact to go down, you are just shifting the endless debates from "was there contact" to "how much contact was there?" That's even more subjective. It's all just a dog's breakfast.
They could simplify it by the var ref simply answering the question was it a fucking dive, if yes send the bald twat to the monitor to at least have to view the player blatantly taking the piss out of him so he has the choice of standing by original decision or booking the attacker.
 
It's a balance isn't it?: getting more decisions right vs disruption to the game. The more I see of this nonsense, the more I come down on the side of scrap it, let the referees referee, let the game flow and let the fans vent at the referees again every game like we used to.

PS: Re your point about no-contact penalties, there are other ways to punish cheating. Off-line review of potential incidents and increasing retrospective punishment each offence, for example. Now that is a use of VAR I can get behind :)
This, exactly. Take the rough with the smooth and enjoy every goal like we used to.
VAR needs fucking off. Completely.
 
I think VAR should be a bonus to the game, but it clearly isn’t. In part this seems to be due to the way it is being operated, but I think also it showing up that the laws of the game are not fit for purpose and need completely rewriting to simplify them and relate more to the objective of each law and less on trying to over specify the detail of every situation.
 
They could simplify it by the var ref simply answering the question was it a fucking dive, if yes send the bald twat to the monitor to at least have to view the player blatantly taking the piss out of him so he has the choice of standing by original decision or booking the attacker.

This would only work if players were awarded penalties when they are clearly fouled but try to stay on their feet. Which traditionally very, very rarely happens.

Players know that by not ‘diving’ after contact, they are almost certainly giving up any chance of being awarded a penalty.
 
This would only work if players were awarded penalties when they are clearly fouled but try to stay on their feet. Which traditionally very, very rarely happens.

Players know that by not ‘diving’ after contact, they are almost certainly giving up any chance of being awarded a penalty.
Yeah but we can't look to take them from woeful to competent in 1 step ;) It should be so simple to consider a player can stay on feet and still be fouled and contact does not make it a foul but with the clowns we have now it would be like teaching astrophysics to a chimpanzee.
 
Yeah but we can't look to take them from woeful to competent in 1 step ;) It should be so simple to consider a player can stay on feet and still be fouled and contact does not make it a foul but with the clowns we have now it would be like teaching astrophysics to a chimpanzee.

The bottom line is mate, with or without VAR. With or without a dive at the end, what is and what isn’t a foul is always going to be a subjective decision that will produce very similar incidents going opposite ways on a regular basis.

There’s no way of putting into words exactly how much contact constitutes a foul.

If I was to gently place my hand on your shoulder for a second and then remove it, 100% of people would agree that isn’t enough contact for a foul.

If I was to violently shove you with both hands in the back, with all my strength, 100% of people would agree that is enough contact for a foul.

But once those two extremes start getting close to the middle, you’re always going to get controversy and split opinions, no matter how good the officials. No matter how consistent they are.
 
See Calvert Lewin as had his red card overturned.
So VAR should of kept their attention seeking noses out and let the refs decision stand of just giving the free kick
 
The bottom line is mate, with or without VAR. With or without a dive at the end, what is and what isn’t a foul is always going to be a subjective decision that will produce very similar incidents going opposite ways on a regular basis.

There’s no way of putting into words exactly how much contact constitutes a foul.

If I was to gently place my hand on your shoulder for a second and then remove it, 100% of people would agree that isn’t enough contact for a foul.

If I was to violently shove you with both hands in the back, with all my strength, 100% of people would agree that is enough contact for a foul.

But once those two extremes start getting close to the middle, you’re always going to get controversy and split opinions, no matter how good the officials. No matter how consistent they are.
Whilst I agree in general with your comment, I think you are optimistic with your thought that your two extremes would get 100% agreement. Off the top of my head I seem to recall van Dijk getting away with a firm push in the back with both hands and quite few comments seemed to think that was OK. Perhaps if a player ran on the pitch with a chainsaw and started attacking the opponents you might get 100% agreement?

The third penalty given by Oliver a few seasons ago versus Leicester seemed to be for little more than a tap on the shoulder, unless Mendy was capable of delivering a Vulcan Death Grip.
 
Where does that come from? Afaik, there is nothing in IFAB's VAR protocol that says that. Imo, if the referee thinks there is enough contact to bring an attacker down, but the replays show the faintest of touches, two steps and then a falling over, they can review it on-field. Maybe they don't because of some idiot Webb guidelines, but they can according to the protocol in my view.
Webb doesn’t want on field penalty decisions overruled unless they’re incontrovertibly wrong decisions.
 
Right so where does this DCL red card overturn leave VAR? It's a PR disaster this one. How can a system thats brought in to stop mistakes, be the one thing that makes a mistake? It really should have a break until it's ready. It's an utter farce - STILL - and has ruined the game for me and AT LEAST 50% of football fans
 
Right so where does this DCL red card overturn leave VAR? It's a PR disaster this one. How can a system thats brought in to stop mistakes, be the one thing that makes a mistake? It really should have a break until it's ready. It's an utter farce - STILL - and has ruined the game for me and AT LEAST 50% of football fans
Absolutely it should be rolled back.... fix the twat, then try again.

We will get ref errors whilst they do that because refs are now getting worse because of VAR. But they are spoiling our game with VAR
 
A shit system that needs reviewing and the officials making the decisions need to learn the rule book and we need to stop changing the rules of the game to make VAR easier.
 

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