The debate on controversial plays is an inherent part of football. Sportscasters and fans discuss all kinds of game events that are not easily discernible to the human eye.
The referee and his assistants commit errors of judgment that can determine the victory of one or the other team. VAR is a new technology that aims to solve the conflict related to controversial plays. Its acronym in English stands for Video Assistant Referee, which means Video Assistant Referee. In the soccer world championship held in Russia in the summer of 2018, this procedure of assistance to the referees was officially introduced.
Operation and objectives
This technological tool allows four people to watch the game and at the same time be in contact with the referee through a fiber optic radio system. The members of the VAR have more than thirty television cameras with which they can review all the controversial plays. However, they only act in four types of cases:
1) to cancel or validate a goal,
2) in situations where there could be a penalty,
3) in those actions where a player could be sent off and
4) to identify the offender of a foul when the referee has any doubts about it.
Members of the VAR contact the referee when these circumstances arise. Of the members of the VAR, there is one dedicated exclusively to analyzing the possible offside. The cameras used allow the observation of the play with total precision.
The approach of this system is to intervene as little as possible in arbitration decisions and, at the same time, achieve greater effectiveness in controversial situations. As is logical, the objective of the VAR is to ensure that the result of a match is as fair as possible.
The use of technology generates two opposing opinions
Technological advances often incorporate changes in social valuations. The introduction of the VAR is a good example of this. Some hobbyists believe that it is a positive and necessary measure, as it significantly reduces human error.
The referee will continue to play a leading role but with this system his logical errors of interpretation will be reduced.
Another sector of the world of football thinks otherwise, since it is understood that this technology goes against a fundamental element in this sport: passionate discussion. Thus, with the VAR, a new version of Maradona's "hand of God" will no longer be possible in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico or of many other controversial moments that marked the history of football.
Photos: Fotolia - Hansel / Rudie
