There were 3 VAR decisions in last night's games and the authorities have admitted all 3 decisions were incorrect.

How on earth has football allowed this? To go from debatable refereeing decisions to debatable VAR decisions? What is the point? Surely it just emphasizes the difficulties in getting a split second decision right.

The big difference is that when the ref gets it wrong the game continues but VAR disrupts the game, sucks all the joy out of celebrating a goal while it is checked for a possible offence on the halfway line 5 minutes before the ball hits the net...

The whole thing stinks. The Premier league want to be careful the fans don't fall out of love with the game.

Here’s the real issue...

Why are we the only country in the world that doesn’t get the on field referee to go to the monitor and make the decision on all non-offside VAR checks.

Why? Because Mike Riley is worried it would hold up the game by a few minutes.

Does it really matter if a 3PM kick off finished at 4:55 instead of 4:50?

Man Utd have had EIGHTEEN penalties this season, and that's with VAR!

Without looking, don't think we've had that many in 5 years.

Fair play to the authorities, they tried something and it hasn't worked.  Across the board it's unpopular.  Takes a big man to admit they made a mistake and scrap it though.

Of course, without VAR we won't be able to have any of the TV adverts that no doubt will come on every review decision.   I'm sure there's no plans to keep these drink breaks and flood them with adverts either...

Quoted from diehardmariner

Fair play to the authorities, they tried something and it hasn't worked.  Across the board it's unpopular.  Takes a big man to admit they made a mistake and scrap it though.

Of course, without VAR we won't be able to have any of the TV adverts that no doubt will come on every review decision.   I'm sure there's no plans to keep these drink breaks and flood them with adverts either...

It’s worked in every other country though hasn’t it?

In England we were late to the party. We started it a year after every other major league. And we still managed to mess it up by excluding the on field referee from the decision making process.

decisions last night were laughably bad
that United penalty was a foul on the villa player and still the ref and VAR got it wrong, scrap it, it hasnt worked

Quoted from GollyGTFC

It’s worked in every other country though hasn’t it?

In England we were late to the party. We started it a year after every other major league. And we still managed to mess it up by excluding the on field referee from the decision making process.

Has it?  Genuinely I don't know.  In complete honesty I watch very limited English football now, especially at the level that VAR is used.  My exposure to foreign leagues is more or less non-existent.

From what I have seen (in this country) is that it completely ruins the flow of the game, is unwanted by the majority of fans and gets key decisions wrong (despite putting them under a microscope).  I've always maintained that the margin for error is what makes football a beautiful game, it's part of the unpredictability of it.  Goals ruled out because someone was offside by a pube seven minutes earlier doesn't lend itself to the game and if you're going to make it clear cut and clinical, it has to be that - not littered with errors.

I believe it’s taken the spirit out of the game. Is a player whose big toe is offside really gaining such an advantage that it merits disallowing a goal?

The handball rule preventing perfectly good goals being allowed is another one of VAR’s quirks that is contributing to ruining the game. How is Michael Oliver the VAR referee for Tottenham just one week after he has disallowed a perfectly good goal and then refutes a blatant penalty? John Moss awarded Man Utd 2 penalty kicks at Spurs just 5 games ago, one of which overturned as Fernandes took a dive and the same player does it again last night with the same ref just 5 games later, bizarre.

I recall that prior to VAR it was shown that 95% of decisions were correct and somehow VAR has managed to increase debate and controversy plus killing part of the enjoyment of the game.

I would expect it’s here to stay and changes are required for improvement of the spectacle, firstly the o field referee should be the one to make the final decision, to be offside there should be clear daylight between the attacking player and defender and as already agreed the accidental handball rule Prior to a goal being scored must be scrapped.

To bring in more advertising revenue drinks breaks are being extended to 90 mins in all professional matches.  They are looking at extending to extra time in the future.

Football cameos of 10 mins are being introduced in all advertising breaks.  

Who needs crowds, who needs live football? Just watch old matches on the BBC.

You knew VAR and VAR errors and delays, Covid, no live matches, no crowds, no money, no toilets and drinks breaks were the thin edge of the wedge.  It all makes sense in a  parallel universe.  (Only the Veggies will be left as they can survive financially without fans - and have plenty of food).

........................Not to mention changes to handball and offsides.  All decisions harder to see, more difficult and prone to error.

VAR is male masturbation

The VAR fella watched the Nketiah red card tackle about 307 times the other night, must've taken about an hour. The ref trotted over, watched it once and changed his decision!

I was all for VAR, but it has caused more issues, than resolved...

but somethings are not VAR fault, it's the people in charge, and the rules!

If it hits a hand in the build up to a goal, its disallowed, that's a stupid rule, not VAR fault

And in the World cup 2018, the referees looked at a lot of incidents on the screen, as they needed to be in charge still.

Yet in the premier league, that very very rarely has happened??

Quoted from Jarmo.Is.God

I was all for VAR, but it has caused more issues, than resolved...

but somethings are not VAR fault, it's the people in charge, and the rules!

If it hits a hand in the build up to a goal, its disallowed, that's a stupid rule, not VAR fault

And in the World cup 2018, the referees looked at a lot of incidents on the screen, as they needed to be in charge still.

Yet in the premier league, that very very rarely has happened??

Absolutely, it's the rules that are stupid. Adapt them and it will be much better. Some people still won't like it because it interrupts the flow of the game. But they're the same people that moaned that something needed doing because referees make too many mistakes

The thing is you can use technology effectively but this current attempt is farcical.  

The ultimate question has to be 'has VAR improved football?'.   For me, it hasn't. Far from it in fact.  Nit-picking on slight offsides or ridiculous handballs in the build up to goals isn't improving football.  These aren't things that anyone would even have noticed without the over the top analysis.  

Then you've got incidents like last night where the Villa lad was fouled, yet somehow gives a penalty away.  Now I know that the referee gave that decision, he made a mistake but VAR is there as a checks and balance.  It's simply failing in what it's intended to do.

I agree with other points about the rules, especially around offsides and handball.  They need changing, VAR in the game or not.  But let's bring football back to what it was, sport involving humans who are prone to errors and mistakes, ones that help make it such a debatable subject.

The only thing I've noticed of benefit and I've no stats to back this up, but there appears to be a lot less diving with players knowing they're under review by a thousand cameras.  The cameras are already there so use for strong and retrospective action, but leave the beautiful game alone and bin off VAR.

Considering that the Premier League and its clubs are constantly hammered on here I wonder why everyone is so bothered about how VAR is used in England anyway. (perhaps there are closet supporters of Premier League teams on here)
So long as its the referee who does the review by looking at the screen himself in the World Cup and Euros do we really give a excrement how it interrupts the game, affects outcomes or anything else.

All that football needed was hawkeye for the ball crossing the line, that was it - it gave FIFA the guarantee there'd be no Lampard v v Germany moments again.  Linesmen check for offsides and the ball going out of the play, the ref does the rest.  

The handball rule and particularly the offside rule didn't need changing.  That decision against Jesse Lingard for England v Holland told me straight away that football was going in the wrong direction.

Every time a goal is scored they pretty much look at VAR just in case.......

I honestly think that in 5 years we'll be wondering how we ever managed without VAR. Trouble is it's exposed flaws in the rules like handball and I think they've been very reluctant to overrule referees. The other issue is the use of the clear and obvious rule. I'd say if it's not clear and obvious after two replays crack on.
Not sure what the answer is for the offside issue. Saw someone suggest there has to be clear daylight between players, but they'll still be using the slide rule to check if there is.
When they introduced it I envisaged something very similar to the goal line technology but it's turning into a mess

goal line technology is a good thing, VAR in its present state is not! look how many times the VAR ref backs up the ref even when all the viewing public can see its an incorrect decision. One idea would be to have an ex pro footballer in the VAR box to explain to the VAR ref why a certain incident had accured.
Unfortunately the powers to be are changing rules for the benefit of VAR and not the game.

Quoted from buckstown

I honestly think that in 5 years we'll be wondering how we ever managed without VAR. Trouble is it's exposed flaws in the rules like handball and I think they've been very reluctant to overrule referees. The other issue is the use of the clear and obvious rule. I'd say if it's not clear and obvious after two replays crack on.
Not sure what the answer is for the offside issue. Saw someone suggest there has to be clear daylight between players, but they'll still be using the slide rule to check if there is.
When they introduced it I envisaged something very similar to the goal line technology but it's turning into a mess

The main problem with the offside rule is that they're not giving offside if they're not sure, so that the attack ends one way or another and then reviewing it. Then it has the ridiculous situation of offside by 2mm which is impossible to judge. If the linesman just made the decision as normal and then only got overruled when he was clearly wrong, such as a whole foot rather than a little toe, then the VAR would work.

The whole handball thing is nonsense. If touching a hand is handball when you're attacking, then it has to be when defending too.

. (perhaps there are closet supporters of Premier League teams on here) Ipswin, ok I think it’s time I came “out of the closet” and come clean, I follow West Ham,but, support Grimsby.

Quoted from Gaffer58

. (perhaps there are closet supporters of Premier League teams on here) Ipswin, ok I think it’s time I came “out of the closet” and come clean, I follow West Ham,but, support Grimsby.

I don't follow or support any Premier league team but I do enjoy watching top flight football which is why VAR has got under my skin.

When watching a game, I invariably hope the underdog wins and anybody who can give the big 6 a bloody nose.

Quoted from lew chaterleys lover

I don't follow or support any Premier league team but I do enjoy watching top flight football which is why VAR has got under my skin.

When watching a game, I invariably hope the underdog wins and anybody who can give the big 6 a bloody nose.

Lew, so you follow West Ham then!!!

Quoted from Gaffer58

. (perhaps there are closet supporters of Premier League teams on here) Ipswin, ok I think it’s time I came “out of the closet” and come clean, I follow West Ham,but, support Grimsby.

Thats OK mate You'll be following a Championship club then next season!  ;)

They have already changed the rules to acomodate VAR. Handball had to be intentional, not accidental. Now they have added that the player's arms have to be their side and not making themselves artificially big, whatever that means.

Scrap the portacabin full of refs, and the lines on the screen, just let the ref look at the monitor pitchside and make a decision.  Most grounds have screens, perhaps the ref could use them, so the crowd could see him making his mind up.

They have tried to make it too perfect, and in doing so it's ruining the game. You don't see stupid lines on the screen at rugby games, and it works perfectly well there.

FIFA have taken control of the VAR protocol, so the Premier League will no longer have control over how it is implemented. The same rules will be used in all leagues around the world.

VAR is essentially for people who’s only exposure to the game is on the Telly or playing FIFA. If you have played, reffed or watched the game from the stands you will totally understand how urine poor VAR is. I can just about accept goal line technology, everything else is simply not required and takes so much away from what makes the game great.
How much better is the game to watch when you have a ref who lets the game flow vs one who blows for every little foul. Amplify that tenfold for how awful it must be to sit in the stands at a VAR game.

Is one of the problems with VAR that the match ref gives a penalty, such as the one Man U got against Villa, on replays everybody can see the Man U player actually fell into and then stepped onto the Villa man, but the ref in the bunker didn’t want to make is mate at the game look like he’d made the wrong decision, hence they nearly always back up the match officials.

Quoted from Theimperialcoroner

VAR is essentially for people who’s only exposure to the game is on the Telly or playing FIFA. If you have played, reffed or watched the game from the stands you will totally understand how urine poor VAR is. I can just about accept goal line technology, everything else is simply not required and takes so much away from what makes the game great.
How much better is the game to watch when you have a ref who lets the game flow vs one who blows for every little foul. Amplify that tenfold for how awful it must be to sit in the stands at a VAR game.

Yes I was saying that to the wife. Not that she was listening but I explained that from a more neutral fans perspective watching matches galore on the telly, VAR adds great drama to the game.

Those without the emotional attachment to a club, including people who "follow" the Premier league giants must think VAR is an exciting addition.

To the fans in the stadium, some as man and boy it is a form of torture to see the beautiful game messed with like this.

They are paying their hard earned money to see their team robbed or the outcome of games decided by people not even in the stadium.  Like I said in the initial post the FA should be careful that fans don't come to the conclusion its rigged and fall out of love with the game.

Quoted from ginnywings

FIFA have taken control of the VAR protocol, so the Premier League will no longer have control over how it is implemented. The same rules will be used in all leagues around the world.

That will certainly make them all the same but there is no guarantee it will make things better.

I still dont understand why they need top level refs on the VAR, surely anyone a  refs badge knows the rules of the game and with lots of replays/not having to be fit could do just the same job, leaving the more experienced PL and lerague officials to ref the games.

Personally I cannot stand VAR. I feel it takes more away from the game than it gives. Decisions have become forensic and yet errors are frequently made still. I’d scrap it but realise this will not happen too. I’d rather take the rough with the smooth and accept like all of us the ‘in game’ officials are human and will make mistakes.