VAR Discussion Thread | 2024/25

[pride in battle]

Likewise VAR hasn’t ’killed’ football like everyone repeats all the time.
Attendances are still high, stadiums are expanding and globally the PL is getting bigger. It’s still the best league by far.

And VAR is still shit, listening to Michael Owen & Webb discusing why the penalty wasn't given against Everton against the rags was an absolute farce...they didn't show the referee the right angle when he went to the monitor and Webb agreed & then said we will try to do better next time!! What the actual FUCK ???

 

[Gorton_Tubster]

Likewise VAR hasn’t ’killed’ football like everyone repeats all the time.
Attendances are still high, stadiums are expanding and globally the PL is getting bigger. It’s still the best league by far.

I didnt say it killed football. I said it has made it worse for the fans. I am not also sure why the PL being the best league has anything to do with it? Thats' not because of VAR, it is being used elsewhere.

Its undeniable, the game has suffered, become more confused. Refs get more death threats, PGMOL have to explain the hair-brained decisions they are coming to. The wrong decisions are even more shocking (Now that they can view it ten times). We talk MORE about decisions than the sport it seems. We dont know what handball is, what a foul is, its been 7, 8 years now?

Pre VAR - The refs got it wrong, Monday headline, that was it.
Now - Refs get it wrong, they get more death threats, PGMOL have to explain everything, we have a TV show dedicated to why did they get it wrong. Organised cheating is an accusation we hear so much more (So I am not sure it is solving that). Apologies have to be handed out to clubs. The rules get changed, even mid-season the rules get changed.

For me its also how the sport is becoming detached from its core fans. I dont want an american style game that you cant play on the streets and fields unless you have all the tech and equipment. We are heading that way with our sport and I dont think its any coincidence that it is happening at a time when corporate america are getting involved. But thats separate I suppose.

 

[BlueHammer85]

Scrap VAR and it’s the return of this.

 

[Bluekiwi]

Watched the New Zealand v New Caledonia last night - didn't have VAR so it was great to see the officials make their decisions letting the game flow without any stoppages. Wasn't quality football but a break from the usual rubbish TV programmes here in NZ (e.g. Married at First Sight, The Block, etc.)

 

[BlueHammer85]

Watched the New Zealand v New Caledonia last night - didn't have VAR so it was great to see the officials make their decisions letting the game flow without any stoppages. Wasn't quality football but a break from the usual rubbish TV programmes here in NZ (e.g. Married at First Sight, The Block, etc.)

The PL has the lowest intervention rate of all major leagues - 0.29 interventions per game and mostly to overturn a wrong onfield decision - vast majority of games are free flowing without VAR stoppages and they are going with onfield decisions more this season.

 

[Stephen230]

Not really VAR but IFAB have officially verified the new goalkeeper rule ahead of next season.

It officially comes into effect on the 1st July but because the new Club World Cup will be ongoing then, it’ll be used from the start of that tournament.

 

[Bluekiwi]

I don't know what is worse, the idea that it was planned to be brought in to the Premier League this season and now isn't, due to apparent unforeseen "congested penalty area" problems that were readily apparent in that Bournemouth Wolves match, or the fact that it was planned to be brought in mid-season to begin with. It's hard to imagine how such a congestive player identification problem could be remedied, as it sounds like a cold hard reality of some kind of technology trying to accurately distinguish who's body is who's in a mix of closely packed players. The naive who thought that this would be the cure all for VAR's offside woes are seeing their VAR delusions go up in smoke yet again.

And as to the apparent plan to implement such a drastic change mid-season, or not even mid-season, but merely at some point during the season, what ever happened to the importance of not making changes to the standards of officiating during the competition? Which was repeated throughout the early stages of VAR implementation, out of some important need to only consider changes at the end of a season, to not disturb the season itself with experimental ideas.

This whole idea has seemingly been eroded throughout the VAR saga presumably due to the realization that there are so many glaring problems that they constantly feel a need to make changes to various aspects of it even during the season in order to make it work better. And that's just in regards to what they announce to the public as far as changes. Who knows what kind of in-house changes they've made behind the scenes without announcing it and without anyone knowing what they're doing.

If only someone could come along and make these people realize that what they are trying to do with VAR is not working and the more they try to improve it, the more it seems to only muddy the water as public trust in its usage only further declines as we move forward. This is no way to administer football. The sport is under a dystopian nightmarish technological stranglehold it's about time for a grassroots campaign to come to the rescue and save football's future from the evil clutches of VAR once and for all.

There is a solution for the congested penalty area scenario ---- microchip EVERY player. Air Traffic Control systems work extremely well with transponders to identify where every plane is so surely the microchip would give similar clarity.

 

[Blue Mist]

Before Var or as I like to call it, the good old days, decisions during a game were discussed in the pub after or work on Monday.


Next year it will be 60 years since Geoff Hurst scored that goal. The one we are still talking about.
Now we just berate a shite system operated by clowns.

 

[TheBeautifulGame]

There is a solution for the congested penalty area scenario ---- microchip EVERY player. Air Traffic Control systems work extremely well with transponders to identify where every plane is so surely the microchip would give similar clarity.

Better yet, lets just replace human players with robot players.

But in all seriousness I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not. I'll put it to you like this, VAR has destroyed the charm of football. The charm is for the referee to make tough decisions, sometimes contentious decisions, sometimes even wrong decisions, but for the match to be conducted entirely by humans for humans.

Technology in sports in general has gone way too far. Using technology to enhance the presentation of sports on TV is one thing, using it to change the way sports are officiated is another. Don't get me wrong, there are sports where technology has helped without the kind of negative aspects that we see in football. (Rugby TMO, Tennis, etc) But in general, technology been way too over used in sports that has caused more harm than good.

 

[TheBeautifulGame]

In a nutshell,

 

[Bluekiwi]

Better yet, lets just replace human players with robot players.

But in all seriousness I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not. I'll put it to you like this, VAR has destroyed the charm of football. The charm is for the referee to make tough decisions, sometimes contentious decisions, sometimes even wrong decisions, but for the match to be conducted entirely by humans for humans.

Technology in sports in general has gone way too far. Using technology to enhance the presentation of sports on TV is one thing, using it to change the way sports are officiated is another. Don't get me wrong, there are sports where technology has helped without the kind of negative aspects that we see in football. (Rugby TMO, Tennis, etc) But in general, technology been way too over used in sports that has caused more harm than good.

I was being sarcastic - I enjoyed the days of abusing officials when they got things wrong.

 

[Gorton_Tubster]

Better yet, lets just replace human players with robot players.

But in all seriousness I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not. I'll put it to you like this, VAR has destroyed the charm of football. The charm is for the referee to make tough decisions, sometimes contentious decisions, sometimes even wrong decisions, but for the match to be conducted entirely by humans for humans.

Technology in sports in general has gone way too far. Using technology to enhance the presentation of sports on TV is one thing, using it to change the way sports are officiated is another. Don't get me wrong, there are sports where technology has helped without the kind of negative aspects that we see in football. (Rugby TMO, Tennis, etc) But in general, technology been way too over used in sports that has caused more harm than good.

Exactly that ^^

We're literally making the game worse.

 

[Stephen230]

SAOT finally being introduced in the Premier League for games on the weekend of 12-14 April then.

In fact it looks like our game with Palace will be the first league game in England to use it, with it being the early KO.

 

[Trevor Morley's Tache]

SAOT finally being introduced in the Premier League for games on the weekend of 12-14 April then.

In fact it looks like our game with Palace will be the first league game in England to use it, with it being the early KO.

The irony isn't lost on me that City were also the first MNF on Sky when we had the pre match American style cheerleaders and music. They binned off the cheerleaders after the first season.

 

[Bluearmy]

The irony isn't lost on me that City were also the first MNF on Sky when we had the pre match American style cheerleaders and music. They binned off the cheerleaders after the first season.

Alive and kicking

 

[Stephen230]

Alive and kicking

Baker Street wasn’t it?

 

[Trevor Morley's Tache]

Baker Street wasn’t it?

Baker street was definitely played at one of the games, but I'm almost certain* it was Alive and Kicking for the first MNF.

*I have been known to be spectacularly wrong.

 

[lasereyes]

SAOT finally being introduced in the Premier League for games on the weekend of 12-14 April then.

In fact it looks like our game with Palace will be the first league game in England to use it, with it being the early KO.

Conveniently after our game at old toilet when Fernandes will be 6 yards offside and deemed not to be interfering

 

[Stephen230]

Conveniently after our game at old toilet when Fernandes will be 6 yards offside and deemed not to be interfering

Probably. Although it wouldn’t have made any difference to that decision, whatever system they were using.

 

[johnnytapia]

Although they’ve not confirmed it, it looks highly unlikely that SAOT will be used in the Premier League this season now.

This completely passed me by but in the Bournemouth, Wolves FA Cup game the other week a VAR check took over eight minutes. The longest in England so far. Mainly because SAOT apparently struggles with a ‘congested penalty area’

It’ll be continued to be used in all remaining FA Cup games this season, bar Preston’s quarter final. But it looks like next season now for the Premier League.

It’s progress mate. Get with the programme