VAR Replay Operators
I’m really sorry for the long post but I’m still fuming after yesterday’s match. Please bear with me and my apologies if this has been discussed at length before.
I think referees do what referees have always done. Some are good and some are bad but I don’t think they are corrupt. Sometimes they are out of their depth and in today’s game are reliant on the opinion of other referees (VAR) who are also good and bad.
However, what isn’t the game we love is the growing manipulation of the outcome by technical individuals who aren’t on the pitch, aren’t referees and of whom we supporters know very little and whose allegiances and motivations are kept from us.
I’m talking about the full-time technicians, known as "Replay Operators", who manage the VAR technology and produce the specific images/angles used by VAR. How many of them are there? Exactly how are they appointed? Where are they based? Are any of them football supporters and if so do they declare allegiances? Do they regularly assist the same referees? How long before a match are they appointed? Who exactly manages them and what Performance Indicators do they have to achieve? How many of them have been sacked or disciplined for errors and how would this be done etc etc?
Taken from the internet is the following:
“ Role of a Replay Operator
The Replay Operators (ROs) work in the Video Operation Room (VOR) alongside the VAR and Assistant VARs (AVARs). Their responsibilities are highly technical and include:
- Operating the VAR system: They use specialised replay systems (e.g., Hawk-Eye's SMART replay) to access and control all available broadcast camera feeds.
- Providing optimal angles: At the direction of the VAR team, they quickly select and provide the best camera angles and replay speeds (slow motion for point of contact, full speed for intensity) to assist with decision-making for reviewable incidents (goals, penalties, red cards, mistaken identity).
- System setup and monitoring: They are responsible for the pre-match setup, conducting thorough system checks, and monitoring hardware and software performance during the match to troubleshoot any issues.
- Communication support: They assist in ensuring seamless communication between the various AVARs and the on-field referee during a review process.
Employment as a replay operator is a professional, full-time career path, often involving working weekends and holidays in a high-pressure live broadcast environment. “
“How are they appointed?
The process for appointing Replay Operators is separate from the match officials:
- Employer: Replay Operators are typically employed by the sports technology companies, such as Hawk-Eye Innovations Ltd, which provide the VAR technology for a specific league or competition.
- Recruitment Process: Candidates usually go through a standard job application process that includes CV submission, one-way video interviews, and an assessment event.
- Qualifications: While a keen interest in football is preferred, the essential qualifications are primarily technical and soft skills, not refereeing experience. Key requirements include:
- Strong technical grounding and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to work in a high-pressure, live broadcast environment.
- Excellent communication and attentive listening skills.
- Flexibility to work weekends and bank holidays and a willingness to travel.
- Match Allocation: Once hired and trained, their specific appointments to matches are managed by their employer in coordination with the relevant football governing body (e.g., PGMOL for the Premier League). “
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Yesterday’s Incidents were so odd and in relation to the offside, if you’ve seen the relevant images, it is really difficult to conclude anything other than the wrong images were shown to us to ‘prove’ Guimaraes was onside. Dias wasn’t in the air and the line was incorrectly drawn from part of his arm and not his armpit as per the laws of the game.
To be generous, perhaps a decision was honestly but incorrectly made in Newcastle’s favour and then shock-horror a realisation that the pictures didn’t support the decision. Why else would such a comical misrepresentation of the incident be shown as proof?
To be less generous, perhaps some of these technical non-referees have conscious or unconscious bias for and against certain teams and in the extreme are also perhaps highly susceptible to bribery from unscrupulous individuals who may have put a great deal of money on a particular outcome. Of course I’m not stating this is the case but when a footballer can be accused of match fixing, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that a person who is likely to earn a fraction of what a pro-footballer will earn, could be tempted.
I might be talking nonsense - but I for one would like to know a bit more about these people as the job description and how they are appointed leaves me with more questions than answers. These relatively low paid techies have the ability to have such a huge impact on our beautiful game and this can’t be right.
