VAR Discussion Thread | 2024/25

[bondsman]

Celebrating my 40th !
Can’t be arsed explaining every bad VAR call. They’ll always happen,

Take too long as well given it’s every game every week. Anyway Happy Birthday.

 

[BlueTG]

It’s a farce that Chelsea score a goal beyond added time in the first half which was mostly made up of the minutes that their goal was farcically ruled out.

 

[urban genie]

In our game VAR will always be ran by morons, our refs are not fit so the system doesn't work.

Plus human error and spontanuity is part of any sport, let the game flow and if mistakes are made so be it.

 

[halfcenturyup]

Then there is the last minute penalty. Who'd have guessed United would be the beneficiaries here? A foul, yes for sure, but it's outside the area and the United player then dives to ground landing inside the area.

Here is a question for those who know the rules better than I do.

Where is the holding offence committed? Where the attacking player is at the time, or where the defender's hand is at the time?

If it's the latter, I only saw the penalty offence briefly and the United player is definitely in the box, which is why he fell over of course, but was the defender inside the box, was his hand that was holding the shirt in the box before he let go?

I hate to have to analyse these things so closely, but when VAR overrules a referee they should be sure they got it right. They have to be 100% sure the offence was in the box before they give it, presumably the same as balls out of play when a goal is scored. Those of you who have seen more angles, was the defender's hand that was holding the shirt actually inside the box before he let go?

 

[thebiglug]

I've watched football for the best part of 70 years and I have to say that this is no longer the game I have loved all these years. In fact it's debatable whether it's actually a sport anymore. Too open to manipulation by the misuse of technology. Even the CL draw on Thurs was partially automated. The lunatics seem to be running the asylum nowadays.

Even the lines you see on screen when they show you the decision can be manipulated. I'm not saying they are but they can be.

I'd say I'm fairly competent in video and image editing and I could manipulate or move those lines/players to a different position in under 60 seconds before anyone else sees it.

The technology can be used however they choose to use it. If they wanted to be fair with the use of technology, they could. If they wanted to use it to influence games, they can (and seemingly do).

Sent from my Asus iPad.

 

[mancboy]

The BIG BIG issue with var is lack of consistency, you only have to look at yesterday and last week, bobb gets his foot stepped on no penalty not enough in, chelsea player gets his foot stepped on in the lead up to a goal in completely natural movement goal ruled out for fulham, fulham player gets foot stepped on in lead up to chelsea goal, nothing to see and completely ignored.

These are not subjective decisions they are all exactly the same challenges and are all reffed completely differently, if you are going to have VAR and look at everything in its minutiae and rule out goals for mm on a sleeve or a toenail there should be zero inconsistency with decisions there really is no excuse for them and that is why everyone will continue to believe that it is bent.

Couple with that with secrecy that it is shrouded in where they refuse to let you hear the conversation between the VAR official and the ref despite them being available in literally every single other sport and people are right to be asking questions and dont get me started on the nonsense yesterday where the 'wrong' image was apparently broadcast in the rags burnley game and then they magically managed to find the correct one after the game when theyd have enough time to doctor it to suit their rhetoric and the whole thing stinks to high heaven.

 

[Betterdeedthan red]

Even the lines you see on screen when they show you the decision can be manipulated. I'm not saying they are but they can be.

I'd say I'm fairly competent in video and image editing and I could manipulate or move those lines/players to a different position in under 60 seconds before anyone else sees it.

The technology can be used however they choose to use it. If they wanted to be fair with the use of technology, they could. If they wanted to use it to influence games, they can (and seemingly do).

Sent from my Asus iPad.

They obviously are manipulated.
I don't believe anything to do with football any more.
Footballs fucked.
Leave it to to influencers.
HERE WE ARE LIVE

 

[Blue Mist]

What is offside his forearm doesn’t count the sleeve is highlighted the same on both players so they are level

I assume they are saying the Burnley players foot is a fraction further forward than the raggy one.
That to me is where Var and the laws surrounding it is wrong.
I don't want to see perfectly good goals chalked off by a computer saying 0.5mm is offside.

 

[Saddleworth2]

The BIG BIG issue with var is lack of consistency, you only have to look at yesterday and last week, bobb gets his foot stepped on no penalty not enough in, chelsea player gets his foot stepped on in the lead up to a goal in completely natural movement goal ruled out for fulham, fulham player gets foot stepped on in lead up to chelsea goal, nothing to see and completely ignored.

These are not subjective decisions they are all exactly the same challenges and are all reffed completely differently, if you are going to have VAR and look at everything in its minutiae and rule out goals for mm on a sleeve or a toenail there should be zero inconsistency with decisions there really is no excuse for them and that is why everyone will continue to believe that it is bent.

Couple with that with secrecy that it is shrouded in where they refuse to let you hear the conversation between the VAR official and the ref despite them being available in literally every single other sport and people are right to be asking questions and dont get me started on the nonsense yesterday where the 'wrong' image was apparently broadcast in the rags burnley game and then they magically managed to find the correct one after the game when theyd have enough time to doctor it to suit their rhetoric and the whole thing stinks to high heaven.

when refereeing for the Womans Rugby World Cup looks more professional, more competent, more transparent, more consistent and the use of TMO 100% better than the application of VAR, you know that something stinks to high heaven. They are not incompetent. They are bent and are executing the PL's playbook.

 

[Gordyola]

I assume they are saying the Burnley players foot is a fraction further forward than the raggy one.
That to me is where Var and the laws surrounding it is wrong.
I don't want to see perfectly good goals chalked off by a computer saying 0.5mm is offside.

Feet of both players are well behind the line in the obscured part of the image only and equal amount of each player's sleeve and the arm of the Burnley player are in the offside zone Its level and not offside, this needs an explanation from the corrupt PiGMOL

 

[Dave El Magico]

The BIG BIG issue with var is lack of consistency, you only have to look at yesterday and last week, bobb gets his foot stepped on no penalty not enough in, chelsea player gets his foot stepped on in the lead up to a goal in completely natural movement goal ruled out for fulham, fulham player gets foot stepped on in lead up to chelsea goal, nothing to see and completely ignored.

These are not subjective decisions they are all exactly the same challenges and are all reffed completely differently, if you are going to have VAR and look at everything in its minutiae and rule out goals for mm on a sleeve or a toenail there should be zero inconsistency with decisions there really is no excuse for them and that is why everyone will continue to believe that it is bent.

Couple with that with secrecy that it is shrouded in where they refuse to let you hear the conversation between the VAR official and the ref despite them being available in literally every single other sport and people are right to be asking questions and dont get me started on the nonsense yesterday where the 'wrong' image was apparently broadcast in the rags burnley game and then they magically managed to find the correct one after the game when theyd have enough time to doctor it to suit their rhetoric and the whole thing stinks to high heaven.

Great post. Absolutely spot on. You can also include the penalty decision for Chelsea for handball. Not much difference between Pedro handling the ball first and then the ball hitting Sessegnon on the arm. Fulham were well and truly done yesterday. Jones and his VAR cronies were bloody awful.

 

[BlueTG]

I’ve just seen the United penalty decision. Salah-esque. There isn’t a chance on Earth anyone actually noticed that until he protested and by doing so convinced VAR to look at it. In addition, there is no fucking chance it would ever make a human fall to the ground unless you’re 18 months old and had just learned to walk.

 

[Stephen230]

I've never actually understood why a decision, referred to VAR, is then sent back to Infield

Because officially at least, the referee always makes the final decision. The A in VAR stands for assistant and just like the assistants with the flags, all they can do is advise a referee. To save time, they allow a referee to accept 'factual' decisions like handball and offside, without checking himself. But technically it is still his decision to take that advice.

Note the way, they make sure the referee in these new on field announcements, always says.. " MY final decision is..."

I think there was one instance in 23/24 and two last season where the referee ignored a VAR recommendation to overturn his decision. So it does happen. Just not very often.

 

[RiversideBlue]

For offsides that are a couple of centimeters off they need to let them go. Its so subjective to the fraction of a second when the ball was/wasn't kicked that they must make errors and, worse still, its open to manipulation.

Also, sick of seeing goals pulled back for things that aren't clear and obvious errors, eg. The Fulham goal.

Var was supposed to stop debate and speculation......well, that's worked. It's total wank!

 

[waspish]

With the bloke on var they’ll be media influenced, we know Subliminal bias exists in people, it’s why they look on other teams var supposed incidents longer and why they just have a quick look at some and say nothing there to turn the your referee decision around! We see it every weekend! We had Bob last week clear pen but they have the get out of we let the play play out for 2 seconds! They’ll be something in our game today and the other games guaranteed!

 

[surprisedbygrass]

I assume they are saying the Burnley players foot is a fraction further forward than the raggy one.
That to me is where Var and the laws surrounding it is wrong.
I don't want to see perfectly good goals chalked off by a computer saying 0.5mm is offside.

They have lost the plot . The whole calamity is revealing the absolute drift away from the foundational values of football . It's no longer a sport, it's a product for the entertainment business .

For over a century spectators have found sanctuary from the chaos and unfairness of daily life by supporting a team. Trapsing along to stand on concrete steps in all weathers with a poor view to watch twenty two men skid , slide and suffer and somehow wrench beauty out of the dire conditions both players and fans tolerate .

For ninety minutes we could live in a world of clear rules and rapid decisions, with the tantalising possibility of ecstacy or devastation at any moment . Poor decisions happened , whether through human error or corruption , but the experience of ninety minutes of shared theatre, shared suffering was both bonding and enduring . Everyone understood the man in black was to be universally hated and noone questioned their authority . Humans are human after all . Pure theatre as an escape from the travails of real life

Television changed everything with "action replays" seeking truth but implying perfection in decision making in a game that lives and breathes dynamism and flow . Then we got monetisation, wall to wall coverage , pundits , post match interviews with irate managers, all undermining decisions that mere humans made in real time . Along comes social media with it's acid with and savvy creators and television has to double down on outrage and controversy and the TV audience lap it up . During this media war those of us who go to matches are forgotten and kept in the dark . We no longer matter. . The real action is elsewhere at home , in a pub or on the internet where social media creators memes go viral before the final whistle and one controversy has got more heft than anyone at the ground has any clue about .

For referees VAR was supposed to be the answer to this deluge of criticism . But by then the game had sold it's soul to television and it's need for daily outrage . These controversial decisions are cat nip for the media and the media controls every aspect of the game .

If it wanted to it could fund an analytical investigation into the data around VAR , penalties and disallowed goals , red cards and share this to calm things down . But we are living in an age of the entertainment wars , opinion and drama always winning over facts ....and in more important arenas than football . The handball rule adjustments in the last few years have the same tone as the cobbled together FFP / PSR chaos. Don't panic , Captain Mannering . It doesn't matter that no one understands them . In fact it creates more controversy and content . Job done .

All that said I will still keep going to matches , still chase the thrill of a sublime moment , still enjoy the camaraderie and banter. But my patience is wearing thin .

 

[waspish]

After that fa cup final when the palace goalie handballed it outside his box and var thought it was fine, that for me when I thought get rid it’s not fit for purpose!

 

[Newman Noggs]

With the bloke on var they’ll be media influenced, we know Subliminal bias exists in people, it’s why they look on other teams var supposed incidents longer and why they just have a quick look at some and say nothing there to turn the your referee decision around! We see it every weekend! We had Bob last week clear pen but they have the get out of we let the play play out for 2 seconds! They’ll be something in our game today and the other games guaranteed!

They know very well that a decision against certain clubs will be greeted with screams of injustice across the entire media for weeks, possibly seasons, so take the easy way out. Similarly, a wrong decision in favour of certain clubs will be instantly swept under the carpet and the likes of Fulham and Burnley can howl at the moon all they want. The football establishment doesn't give a shit.

 

[Gorton_Tubster]

They know very well that a decision against certain clubs will be greeted with screams of injustice across the entire media for weeks, possibly seasons, so take the easy way out. Similarly, a wrong decision in favour of certain clubs will be instantly swept under the carpet and the likes of Fulham and Burnley can howl at the moon all they want. The football establishment doesn't give a shit.

That's always been the way imo. But now they can point to video evidence that supports their decision.

What they've achieved with VAR is to bring all those important subjective decisions under central control. In effect they have controlled referee decision making on the pitch.



I'm hearing a few more fans saying decisions are subjective and can never be defined. That's where I am. For me just trust the referee mistakes or not.

 

[KentBlue]

Transparency is the key issue for me. Pgmol have turned football officiating into a sinister cloak and dagger affair, and they don't give a fuck who knows it. But time is running out and an independent regulator will soon take Webb's power away from him so he's making hay while he can.
What has been happening over the years, blatant corruption eroding away at our game, culminated yesterday in a disgusting abuse of power from pgmol. A slap in the face to fans of the sport all over the world. What we saw yesterday was not incompetence, absolutely not, it was cheating. It was a manipulation of the rules in order to achieve a desired result. Something that has been happening since the inception of the Premier League. Something that has been of such huge to benefit to the rags that we saw them go from mid-table mediocrity into a global superpower - almost overnight. That could not possibly have happened without a great deal of illegal activity taking place back stage.

Both Fulham and Burnley were victims of an act of conspiracy yesterday, I am convinced of it. But nothing will be permitted to come of this because co-conspirators like our footballing media will made damn bloody sure nothing does come of it. And until football fans start voting with their feet and boycotting games, cancelling Sly Sports subscriptions and demanding 100% transparency from any and all footballing regulators, both here and abroad, we will all still be paying excessive amounts to go and see a game whose outcome was pre-determined by Howard Webb and his shadowy colleagues at pgmol.