VAR Discussion Thread | 2024/25

[TheBeautifulGame]

'In your opinion. Others feel it was a pen' - Either way it was still the Refs decision, he got the chance to take a much better look from different angles - this is what i want to happen when there's a penalty decision of this magnitude.

He's making decisions at the video screen under duress. He's essentially being outnumbered and bullied into changing his own decision, out of fear that if he doesn't, he may be punished for making the wrong decision and going against the VARs interpretation. The point of him going to the monitor and needing the VARs to help him make a decision, as if he isn't worthy of interpreting what happened on his own, is utterly farcical, or should I say VARcical, and nonsensical.

If he's the ref, if he goes to the monitor for HIM to make the decision, then make that decision on his own, without someone in his ear influencing his decision. It annoys me when you say it was still the ref's decision, when it's his decision that is being questioned and him being urged to change his decision by the faceless feckless unknown numpties in his earpiece!

i don't want to go back to the days of seeing star players get awarded penalties at every tumble in the box.

Neither do I. But there are ways of stamping that out without creating this maddening monstrosity!

'if it was that clear where has the 5 minutes come from' - already mentioned that delay is to long and unacceptable, it is also quite rare - they were looking at other factors like offside etc also.

It's no mystery why the review took so long. It took so long precisely because it wasn't clear and obvious. Because it had so many aspects to it and so many subjective elements to it. Precisely why they're not supposed to review such things, by their own standards!!

'The game is slowly dying' - this has been quoted since around the late 70's and more so when PL come into play - the game evolves, it has too - VAR was bought in because of the speed of the game, the amount of cheating and the costly constant mistakes the officials were getting wrong, For me it had to be bought in eventually, its far from perfect, there's alot i dislike but it's still the right way to go (i stress again IMO) If a ref is unsure or has missed a big call then he gets a chance for a second look, thats all i argue for.

VAR has opened up a HUGE can of worms that is destroying the essence of football. Fans here and there may have said the game is slowly dying since the 70's, often out of hyperbole for distinctly different reasons than what is negatively affecting the sport today.

You're trying to make a false equivalency here that somehow VAR, or something like it, was always going to be brought in, as if it was inevitable. That's where you're wrong. VAR never happens if Sepp Blatter isn't accused of corruption and sacked as FIFA President, bringing in this guy who set out from the onset to bring supposed "fairness" to football as if that hadn't been the goal all along. If this is what fairness looks like, I'll take unfairness thank you very much. What about fairness to the fans, who love the game, as it was, as it has always been played. How about fairness to the sport itself, to be played as it was designed and intended. Utter bollocks this supposed fairness is, just a political talking point used to destroy the sport that we love.

 

[mosssideblue]

VAR is far too forensic. It should be able to reach a decision within a minute. If a clear and obvious refereeing error cannot be determine within a minute - time out and ref decision stands

 

[johnnytapia]

so basically had the penalty been awarded everyone would slate VAR for not over turning it, now it was awarded it was a clear foul from Rice and should have been awarded a penalty.

Absolute bollocks. As per.

 

[johnnytapia]

That long a delay is not good at all, i can understand the magnitude of the importance of getting it correct espeically if other factors like offside is involved - wouldn't want to be in that TV room! However, they are rare that long and it was the right call for the ref to have a second look on the monitor - ultimately the Ref still made the choice, he rightly imo acknowledged it wasn't a penalty and the correct outcome ensured - Had a ref just lazily pointed to the spot like previous years and Madrid get a goal back, Rice on a yellow then the whole game turns on its head. which is unfair. * I wanted Arsenal to lose by the way.

“However, they are rare that long”
Bournemouth say “Hello”.

 

[halfcenturyup]

Did you see it ? Rice had his arms around him but nowhere near enough Mbappe to dive to the ground.
Before VAR it’s a penalty to Madrid, no questions asked and everyone seemingly would be alll fine about it.

:) I think you missed the point.

 

[Blue Mist]

Why do we allow the wum on here ?
Yes he's on ignore but I come in the thread to see 2 pages of posters replying to his shite.

I've skipped them so may have missed sensible posts by BLUES.

Fuck me he's still at it. Spamming the thread.
Mods can you not ban the wumming bastard ?

 

[Gazza]

Fuck me he's still at it. Spamming the thread.
Mods can you not ban the wumming bastard ?

Spamming + wumming = West Hamming ;-)

 

[stonerblue]

Joke last night

 

[BlueHammer85]

Fuck me he's still at it. Spamming the thread.
Mods can you not ban the wumming bastard ?

Could someone remind Angry Mist that having a different point of view isn't spamming.

 

[danielwood5]

'Maybe he embellished it a little' is a understatement, there wasn't enough contact to go down like that, otherwise players may aswell throw themselves to the floor at every contact if you're getting rewarded with a penalty - the Ref (IMO) wrongly awarded the penalty, VAR was there to tell the ref to have a second look on monitor - it is still the Refs decision upon viewing the monitor to award the penalty - that seems to be forgotten here.

'no way to know if the ref would have ruled that a penalty on the pitch had he not had VAR as backup' - we can go on past experiences, a player like Mbappe, throwing himself to ground, in front of a hostile crowd - Refs have a history of awarding these sort of penalties on a regular basis, i'm glad we have VAR to reduce this happening.

My opinion by the way, i argue in good faith which seems to rub angry Mist back up.

 

[BlueHammer85]

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Yes, he is a prime example of a cheating diver and was rewarded so many times pre VAR less so now despite some of them ones, especially against Dias - infuriating that was given, i don't think it would this season.

 

[halfcenturyup]

Yes, he is a prime example of a cheating diver and was rewarded so many times pre VAR less so now despite some of them ones, especially against Dias - infuriating that was given, i don't think it would this season.

You don't think it would be given? If you think it's clearly a dive and we now have the benefit of VAR and all its great consistency (sarcasm alert) shouldn't you know it wouldn't be given?

What if it was given by the referee, do you think/know it would currently be reversed by VAR? What if it wasn't given by the referee, do you think/know it would currently be given by VAR?

 

[halfcenturyup]

Dale Johnson trying to explain the two Madrid Arsenal penalty VAR decisions:

"VAR review: Real Madrid fans will wonder how a penalty can be awarded to Arsenal, but their own cancelled in what would seem to be similar situations. If the VAR intervenes to give one soft penalty, why is he intervening to cancel another?

Rice had his arm around Mbappe, and we've become accustomed to evidence of contact leading to a referee's decision being upheld. That said, upper body contact is judged slightly differently to contact with the lower body. It means contact with a tackle is likely to be upheld, but with holding the impact is more important.

It's clear the France international wasn't held enough to go to ground in the way he did. It was a refreshing surprise that the VAR did get involved."

Is anyone buying this?

 

[Gordyola]

No , what would have ruined the game is cheating bastard Mbappe being awarded a penalty for a ridiculous dive - thanks to VAR this was overturned. Could have completely changed the complexity of the match.

Scrap VAR and those sort of farcical dives get rewarded with a penalty.

Yet the Arsenal pen wasn't over ruled

 

[Gordyola]

It's histrionics to call that a "ridiculous / farcical dive". In no way was that a dive. First of all, Rice has his arms wrapped around him, second, Mbappe stepped on Rice's foot making him lose balance and fall.

The only thing anyone can agree on about this situation was that it was very subjective and very difficult for VAR to make a decision, which is why it took so long, which is way VAR is such a disaster. This was essentially a 50/50 situation that fans would be split on no matter whether it was called a penalty or not.

Had it been given a penalty, on the pitch or via a VAR review, fans would be fuming that MBappe was getting preferential treatment, or that he "dived", but if they don't give a penalty then fans would be fuming that Rice had his hands on him, stopped him from getting to the ball, caused him to fall, etc.

This situation just goes to show that VAR struggles to make subjective decisions that could be interpreted one way or the other, and it's aggravating to have such a delay and for them to decide on something that the public will never have a consensus on regardless of what decision is made.

But you, Hammer, arguing that it was a "farcical dive" when that's not what happened at all, probably since you dislike Mbappe or for whatever reason, is even more aggravating because that's objectively not what happened!

Did you miss the part where he stepped on Rice's foot while Rice was holding him up? That to you is a "dive"? If you step on someones foot you generally fall because you are unable to plant your foot on solid ground.

Now I'm not arguing that it was a clear penalty or that it wasn't. My view is that, like most of VAR reviews, it was very borderline that could be interpreted either way. It was likely to be reviewed by VAR regardless of whether or not it was ruled a penalty on the pitch. Lets say a penalty wasn't given on the pitch. Then VAR reviews it and probably comes to the same conclusion because they're unsure. Or they don't review it and fans are fuming that VAR didn't review it.

You see, Hammer, no matter what they do, it's destined to be a controversial situation, probably with or without VAR. But you are trying so hard to put VAR over, that you've accused Mbappe of diving and making it sound like it was a clear non-penalty, as if Rice wasn't all over him, holding him back from possibly getting to the ball, as if his foot wasn't stepped. As if he just dove all by himself.

No, that wasn't a dive, Hammer. The devil is in the details. In a situation like this, there's gonna be controversy no matter what decision was made, on the pitch, with or without VAR. It's one of those, you see.

If it had been outside the box a FK would have been given no VAR review and Madrid score directly
Saka was offside in the build up to Arse first goal no VAR review as it was in a different phase off play

Just two examples anomalies of VAR in the same game

 

[Gordyola]

Is having your arms around a player part of the laws of the game now?

Like shirt holding is allowed as long as its not too long (they haven't defined in public how long) yet a few seasons ago it was a automatic yellow card often still given outside the box

 

[Gordyola]

'Maybe he embellished it a little' is a understatement, there wasn't enough contact to go down like that, otherwise players may aswell throw themselves to the floor at every contact if you're getting rewarded with a penalty - the Ref (IMO) wrongly awarded the penalty, VAR was there to tell the ref to have a second look on monitor - it is still the Refs decision upon viewing the monitor to award the penalty - that seems to be forgotten here.

'no way to know if the ref would have ruled that a penalty on the pitch had he not had VAR as backup' - we can go on past experiences, a player like Mbappe, throwing himself to ground, in front of a hostile crowd - Refs have a history of awarding these sort of penalties on a regular basis, i'm glad we have VAR to reduce this happening.

My opinion by the way, i argue in good faith which seems to rub angry Mist back up.

At what point did you decide that he "dived" on first viewing, after a replay or after numerous replays from different angles?

He did no different than what most players do, when they feel contact

Rice had his arms around him impeding his progress, as rightly pointed out he trod on Rice's foot, is holding now allowed?

Any comments about VAR not interring in the Arsenal pen?

 

[Blue Mist]

Knees Up Mother Brown and 3 others (at least) yet he's still here.

I presume he can't he arsed with KUMB as they dont seem to have a Var thread, the others hes probably been banned as a wum.

 

[Gazza]

No VAR - Some shit decisions, but everything is spontaneous

VAR - Slightly less shit decisions but no spontaneity (and no idea what's happening if you're inside the ground)

I vote no VAR, as before it football was far more enjoyable even if some decisions were wrong.

 

[the-ecstacy-of-eight]

No VAR - Some shit decisions, but everything is spontaneous

VAR - Slightly less shit decisions but no spontaneity (and no idea what's happening if you're inside the ground)

I vote no VAR, as before it football was far more enjoyable even if some decisions were wrong.

I don't agree with your analysis of VAR.

With VAR the decisions are just as shit as before, they're just a different type of shit decision.
The level of shit-ness hasn't changed.

I'd vote to bin it though, it's shit!