The Ref Stop

An Honest VAR Discussion

What should we do with VAR

  • Total voters
    44
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Sorry mods if this is in wrong category, feel free to move it.

We keep having different discussions every week in which VAR did or didn’t intervene. So I thought it would be an idea to have a general VAR chat and not about a specific incident

So……. Answer the poll and see how we go
 
The Ref Stop
SHOCK VOTE
Being realistic, we'll never go back to the human eye for non-subjective stuff like offside position. As with a million other use cases, money will never allow us to bin AI
However, you'll be quite hard pressed to find a man on the street who still wants VAR for the subjective stuff. I'm their Leader
There are some who hold out misguided hope for clear & obvious blah blah, but they're a smallish minority now
I know the argument about 'well, they all wanted it in the first place' and I accept the argument that 'they'd all go mental when refs go back to getting it wrong without VAR', but the latter is the lesser of two evils. I think it's possible, albeit unlikely, that subjective VAR could be threatened, but even if it was binned, deluded demand would only cause it to come back in some other format
AI AI AI, the end of the world is nigh
 
I have spent more time at work in the last three working days talking to AI than I have to colleagues and it’s gonna get worse from here.
 
Big Cat said:
SHOCK VOTE
Being realistic, we'll never go back to the human eye for non-subjective stuff like offside position. As with a million other use cases, money will never allow us to bin AI
However, you'll be quite hard pressed to find a man on the street who still wants VAR for the subjective stuff. I'm their Leader
There are some who hold out misguided hope for clear & obvious blah blah, but they're a smallish minority now
I know the argument about 'well, they all wanted it in the first place' and I accept the argument that 'they'd all go mental when refs go back to getting it wrong without VAR', but the latter is the lesser of two evils. I think it's possible, albeit unlikely, that subjective VAR could be threatened, but even if it was binned, deluded demand would only cause it to come back in some other format
AI AI AI, the end of the world is nigh
Click to expand...
Completely agree on C&O. No one can tell me or anyone else what this means (or what ‘what football expects’ means)

But what is your alternative?
 
Change it

Similar system to field hockey is my ideal. Teams get 1 review per game (use it poorly and lose it), refs and/or VAR can initiate a review too.

Desperately need semi automated offside as well
 
I'm rewording my post to be a bit clearer what I'm aiming at. It would be better to only use VAR for:
  • Goal/no goal
  • Violent conduct
  • Biting or spitting
  • Penalty/no penalty all factual decisions (e.g. position of offence) and subjective decisions for VC, biting/spitting and DOGSO-Red
  • Mistaken identity
This would strike a better balance by removing VAR involvement in most penalty/no penalty subjective decisions, DOGSO outside the penalty area and SFP (unless/until there is a significant rewrite of Law 12 to make SFP less subjective).
 
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My option is not there as an option. But I voted the closest one. Make it work.

I don't see too much wrong with the system/protocol. It needs better technology and 'smarter' usage of it.
And the expectations of it has to be managed a lot better. A subjective decision by definitions sits on a sliding scale. Majority of ppl expect VAR to 'fix' a 70/30 or 80/20 decision. That's not what it was designed for.
 
It isn't going anywhere, and if anything will be expanded. And in fairness I think it had been working well this season with the referee's call approach, until we had two decisions this weekend that seemed to be the polar opposite of referee's call. Whether that is a change in directive, human error, junior referee deferring to senior referee in VAR, etc, only time will tell.

They have to find a way of making it work, I thought they were on the path to that and hopefully this weekend was just a blip.
 
Here is a hypothetical and perhaps more of an observation.

A poll like this for the wider footballing community undoubtedly will result in the majority wanting to bin it.

Let's say we bin it. And we run without it for a couple of years. Then we run a similar poll. I am certain the vast majority would want to bring it back. A never satisfied bunch we are 🤣
 
I think the rules on the use of VAR need to be stricter and more "black and white" so people understand when it will be used and when it will not.
 
I have only really been paying close attention to VAR decision in the last few months, and I know it is different to what it was previous seasons I can say that I (surprisingly) enjoy having VAR in football. And that doesn't mean I agree with all their decisions, but in the grand scheme of things I think it has benefitted football.

I will always remember a few years ago at Portman Road where the Ipswich striker went down about 10 yds outside the box and the ref gave a penalty, it was hilarious to me and the other Ipswich fans but I can't imagine how furious I would be if that happened the other way round.

No matter how it is changed there are always going to be people who disagree with it, but if it stops mistakes like that happening at the top level of football then I will welcome it.
 
Samuel said:
I have only really been paying close attention to VAR decision in the last few months, and I know it is different to what it was previous seasons I can say that I (surprisingly) enjoy having VAR in football. And that doesn't mean I agree with all their decisions, but in the grand scheme of things I think it has benefitted football.

I will always remember a few years ago at Portman Road where the Ipswich striker went down about 10 yds outside the box and the ref gave a penalty, it was hilarious to me and the other Ipswich fans but I can't imagine how furious I would be if that happened the other way round.

No matter how it is changed there are always going to be people who disagree with it, but if it stops mistakes like that happening at the top level of football then I will welcome it.
Click to expand...
Have you experienced VAR (and a goal/no goal) in the stadium?
 
Fortunately not a goal/no goal but was in the ground earlier in the season where we had been given a pen and VAR said no. from that experience it did not feel like it took too long. I do wish we got to see what the TV saw in the stadium, that is one of the changes I would make
 
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