The Ref Stop

A couple of lines drawn by a 7 year old.

PinnerPaul said:
Broadly agree Graeme, but there has to be a 'tipping' point, otherwise VAR IS going to take away the excitement. I've just learnt of a penalty given recently in Australia 4 minutes after the challenge - play continued all that time and no one appealed - that surely can't be considered a good use of technology or good for the game?
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I've posted elsewhere how I think the VAR would be much more successful if based off a challenge system, which I certainly think would take away the problems with play continuing and then having to be pulled back.
 
The Ref Stop
GraemeS said:
But what you're describing is VAR done badly. And of course I'm not in favour of bad VAR - and I would definitely count the current implementation as "bad VAR". But I don't think that's a justification for writing off the entire concept of VAR, or simply slumping back and accepting that key moments in games can be decided by referee mistakes and that's how it will always be.

I think that refereeing can be made better through technology, and that if done well, that will absolutely be a good thing for the sport. One failed experiment doesn't automatically mean that all future attempts will fail and we're wasting our time trying.
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Good point Graeme, however I don't see a way round a 'review' system, slowing down the game. VAR used 'too much' or looking at non obvious errors I agree, can and should be eradicated, but any 'review' will ALWAYS delay the game as well as other problems and inconsistencies that can't be changed - my own personal bug bear - an incorrectly NON raised offside flag is reviewed whereas an incorrectly raised flag isn't and can't ever be for obvious reasons.
 
And this "failed experiment" is looking like it's going to be in action at arguably the most famous and most prestigious sporting event in the summer, which comes around only four years and is the "holy grail" of sporting events.

Absolute nonsense that they are trying to fast track it for the World Cup without figuring out or/and deciding the best way of using it.
 
OK. My conclusion. VAR system is very good except for the two huge problems with it:
1. Lack of didicated and proper technology to support it.
2. Under trained and over zealous VARs who want to referee the game (in opposed to assist) from the VAR room.
 
NorthLondonRef said:
And this "failed experiment" is looking like it's going to be in action at arguably the most famous and most prestigious sporting event in the summer, which comes around only four years and is the "holy grail" of sporting events.

Absolute nonsense that they are trying to fast track it for the World Cup without figuring out or/and deciding the best way of using it.
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Only sliver lining for us 'luddites' NLR, is that if it goes wrong there, the IFAB would HAVE to think again!
 
GraemeS said:
But what you're describing is VAR done badly. And of course I'm not in favour of bad VAR - and I would definitely count the current implementation as "bad VAR". But I don't think that's a justification for writing off the entire concept of VAR, or simply slumping back and accepting that key moments in games can be decided by referee mistakes and that's how it will always be.
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No, I'm describing VAR as it is now and how in my opinion, it will almost certainly, always be. As mentioned, mistakes are inevitable in any enterprise where humans are involved and that includes the VAR system. For me, you're just trading one set of problems for another in a way that does not improve the game when taken as a whole. The kinds of really egregious mistakes that everyone agrees are totally unfair and could have been caught by a VAR system are the ones such as the Maradona 'Hand of God' goal and the Thierry Henry handball against the Republic of Ireland and for me, those kinds of incidents just don't happen often enough to justify the use of a system that has such drastic and far-reaching negative effects on the fundamental nature of the game.

I was wondering if perhaps I was just some kind of luddite, stuck in the past and totally out of touch with the modern participants in the game but I think the recent comments by David Wagner for one (and when taken together with various other voices in Germany, Italy and Australia where VAR has been in use since the beginning of the season) show that even among current players and managers there seem to be plenty that agree with my take on it.

I'm not sure why but my mind keeps tending towards aphorisms or maxims (some might say clichés) to express this. I used one before but here's another - "throwing the baby out with the bathwater." Different sources give slightly different definitions of this but the way I would define it, especially in terms of what I think is happening with VAR is, "Committing the avoidable error of not realising that in trying to get rid of something that you don't want, you actually end up throwing away the thing that you really needed to keep."
 
PinnerPaul said:
Only sliver lining for us 'luddites' NLR, is that if it goes wrong there, the IFAB would HAVE to think again!
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The flip side is, if there are no major issues (a chance of that happening as we have the best referees, best technology and only about 60 games to judge it on) IFAB will deem it a HUGE success and top flight football, as we know/love it, will be a thing of the past.
 
one said:
The flip side is, if there are no major issues (a chance of that happening as we have the best referees, best technology and only about 60 games to judge it on) IFAB will deem it a HUGE success and top flight football, as we know/love it, will be a thing of the past.
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We'll see. Technology won't be any better than PL uses. English crews and equipment (along with the best of the rest of the world) are used by Host Broadcaster at WCs, Olympics etc. I see this week that UEFA have said they will NOT be using in 2018/19 for CL and EL, whatever IFAB/FIFA decide this week.
 
PinnerPaul said:
We'll see. Technology won't be any better than PL uses. English crews and equipment (along with the best of the rest of the world) are used by Host Broadcaster at WCs, Olympics etc. I see this week that UEFA have said they will NOT be using in 2018/19 for CL and EL, whatever IFAB/FIFA decide this week.
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Lovely. Good to see some common sense from UEFA. If this also gets fast tracked into the PL, at least the UCL/Europa we still remain "traditional" untouched competitions. Stick as many fellas as you want behind the goal. Put up goal line technology. But please no VAR as we've seen it.

Here's a thought. How about we give the referee's one of those virtual reality headset goggle things. So they can watch the replays instantly via their goggles. Or take away the referee all together and manufacturer a football which is linked to technology and the ref can watch the game from the side of the pitch alongside a super fast monitor. When he sees a foul or something he presses a button and the ball stops and hovers via a jet pack to the correct point to restart the game.

Think I'm onto something!
 
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