Video Assistant Referees (VARs) were first incorporated into football’s Laws of the Game in the 2018/19 season. The implementation of VAR in football initially aimed to improve the accuracy of refereeing decisions, but it has given rise to frustrations among players, fans, and officials.
VAR’s capability to overturn pivotal moments in matches, such as goals and penalties, has provoked concerns regarding inconsistent decision-making.
Liverpool, in particular, has been embroiled in VAR-related controversies, with instances like the unpunished challenge by Harry Kane on Andy Robertson and Jordan Pickford’s tackle on Virgil Van Dijk, resulting in a season-ending injury, amplifying scrutiny and frustration associated with VAR.
The latest debate among fans and pundits was that the on-side goal of Luiz Diaz was ruled out in its October 30 match against Tottenham Hotspur. PGMOL submitted an apology to Jurgen Klopp’s side, acknowledging “human error” in the decision-making process.
Unfortunately, VAR doesn’t work like the Decision Review System (DRS) that is used by cricket. DRS has been assisting cricket umpires for the past decades after it was introduced back in 2008 during India’s test series in Sri Lanka.
DRS assists umpires in decision-making, a vital part of cricket in the past decade. Mainly, when using DRS, the umpire’s call lets the on-field umpire maintain their decision, even if the review result disagrees, allowing the team to keep the review.
Introduced in July 2008 during India’s Test Series, DRS employs ball-tracking, Ultra-edge, Real-time snicko, and hotspot technologies for leg-before-a-wicket (LBW) and caught-behind-a-wicket decisions.
What professionals say about VAR
The Premier League is definitely facing a trust crisis, as VAR, once hailed as a solution, is now seen as flawed. Despite initial support, VAR in football has struggled to learn from its mistakes.
Howard Webb, the chief refereeing officer of the referees’ body PGMOL, has come under increasing scrutiny and criticism. The organisation has admitted to mistakes 14 times since last season, impacting various clubs, including Arsenal. This also eventually affects the punters who placed their bets on bookmakers like Sportsbet.io, only to lose money due to faulty decisions.
The controversy surrounding VAR decisions, like the disallowed Luis Díaz goal for Liverpool against Tottenham, has eroded trust in the system and raised doubts about its effectiveness. Liverpool argues that the scale of the error in the Diaz offside incident justifies greater transparency for the betterment of the game as a whole.
Liverpool right winger Mohamed Salah has been an outspoken critic of VAR, saying that the tech is “destroying the game.” This dissatisfaction is rooted in the 2020/2021 season when Liverpool faced perplexing VAR decisions, including a late penalty against Brighton and a controversial offside-no-goal ruling in the Merseyside derby.
The Anfield team is not alone. Brentford boss Thomas Frank isn’t holding back either. He’s seeking an apology from the head referee Howard Webb following a penalty call that resulted in the team’s loss of 1 – 0 against Newcastle on September 17.
VAR needs to learn from DRS
Cricket’s DRS offers valuable lessons for VAR, including transparency and the role of appeals. Cricket’s DRS relies on multiple technologies, like ball-tracking and edge detection, which can be expensive and lead to uneven usage worldwide.
In contrast, VAR is simpler, with cameras and sound systems in place. Adding more to this set will allow VAR’s application to expand beyond major incidents to include minor ones, such as goalkeeper handling outside the area, which could improve decision accuracy.
One quick lesson VAR can take from cricket’s DRS is the value of having video umpires reporting to fans directly through microphones, providing transparency in decision-making.
VAR also faces issues with fans being unaware of decisions during stoppages, unlike in cricket, where the big screen displays the same footage as the video umpire. This transparency could also reduce disputes in football, enhance refereeing consistency, and lessen the need for pundits to explain decisions.
Nevertheless, it is to be admitted that cricket took nearly a decade to balance subjectivity and umpiring experience with accuracy in DRS. Both games have different built-in rules as well.
An “appeal” is fundamental in cricket, with no batsman given out without an appeal from the bowling side. While DRS hasn’t entirely eliminated faux appeals in cricket, the limited number of reviews eases pressure on umpires. Football, in contrast, involves players debating with the referee during appeals.
