The Graun on VAR

[santa sangria]

He shoots, he scores – or does he? How VAR changed football for ever

Virtual assistance for referees has drawn complaints from managers, players and fans. What has it done to the beautiful game?

www.theguardian.com

It's an interesting read.

I do take particular umbrage at the quote from Carrington. Respect due, the book is a triumph - though I do also think it's full of holes. Unf it is well patchy!
The idea that no referee he has ever spoken to does not welcome VAR - tosh!

The article already highlighted how no prem teams are allowed to speak out against VAR, and I also know that anyone connected with associations and international associations cannot speak out against VAR... but the idea that all refs welcome it, come on! Don't say it. Don't print that rubbish!

 

[GraemeS]

The writer starts off with that personal anecdote about the Spurs v City game, and how it feels as a fan to be on the winning side of a VAR decision. Goes through the history and debate around it. And then conspicuously fails to close the circle and discuss how he now feels knowing that spurs wouldn't have made the CL final if not for VAR. And I think that's because the answer to that question (obviously VAR was "good" in that specific instance) is too jarring a contrast with the overall tone of the article for him to be able to reconcile.

With respect to the specific quote that grates with you, I think he's clearly asked a very specific question with only one possible answer (do you think more decisions being right is a good thing?) and used that to infer that referees like VAR as it is, presenting that as his final conclusion. Those are two different questions and I think a lot of referees would happily say yes to the former and no to the latter.

 

[Big Cat]

He shoots, he scores – or does he? How VAR changed football for ever

Virtual assistance for referees has drawn complaints from managers, players and fans. What has it done to the beautiful game?

www.theguardian.com

It's an interesting read.

I do take particular umbrage at the quote from Carrington. Respect due, the book is a triumph - though I do also think it's full of holes. Unf it is well patchy!
The idea that no referee he has ever spoken to does not welcome VAR - tosh!

The article already highlighted how no prem teams are allowed to speak out against VAR, and I also know that anyone connected with associations and international associations cannot speak out against VAR... but the idea that all refs welcome it, come on! Don't say it. Don't print that rubbish!

Great post Santa. Thanks for sharing. An interesting read throughout although it lost me a bit when Religion got a mention!
It's interesting that the Referees and Clubs have seemingly been silenced by the FA, who themselves must be dubbed from above. It's like the game is governed by a Chinese Authority in which dissenters are suppressed
The article is balanced because it delves into the origins of VAR and the underlying and perfectly reasonable motivations, but it counters this with the realisation that the dynamics of it have led to unthinkable consequences
Fundamentally, I've always felt that this quote (from the article) sums up the most depressing aspect of VAR;
'The unforgettable sound of 50,000 people retracting their joy and swallowing it back down'
Like the author, I don't know what the answer is. Contrary to a shallow-minded comment that I'd like the game to regress 30 years, that's just wrong. But I'm at a loss to picture how the game will develop under a regime solely interested in commercials and hell-bent on brainwashing