Premier League: VAR-ce or VAiR?
- VAR was introduced this season in the Premier League
- Major decisions and controversy marred the use of the technology
- Mental Health and Psychosocial considerations during the COVID-19 pandemic
VAR use in the Premier League this season has been questioned on how efficient it has been.
The introduction of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in the Premier League this season had many at questions.
Having been used in the World Cup at Russia in 2018, some had hope that it would ‘rewrite’ mistakes that were often witnessed in officiating.
Other were skeptical at it as it denied the beautiful game the joy and enthusiasm as a goal and celebrations would either be short-lived or reignited based on which decision was made.
Mike Riley’s team of officials at Stockley Park were tasked with ensuring that no decision was missed or not seen.
Manchester City were the first team to taste VAR when Gabriel Jesus’ goal against West Ham was ruled for offside. The Brazilian thought he had fired Manchester City into a 3-0 lead away at West Ham and bagged his second of the game.
But referee Mike Dean referred the goal to the technology booth — and it was decided that Raheem Sterling was off-side in the build-up. Unsurprisingly Jesus was furious, and it really was the smallest of margins — literally millimetres off-side.
While Sterling laughed it off on social media, this was only the beginning of a spate of decisions that would reinvent the game in England.
Fast forward to eleven months, VAR has been consulted 334 times with 104 decisions overturned in the process.
Lengthy delays with fans left wondering what is going on, fastidious drawing of offside lines on armpits and an almost unshakable reluctance to use the pitchside monitors.
FIFA have taken control of VAR, the baton passed to them by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), and, with Pierluigi Collina and Arsene Wenger now the key decision-makers, the world governing body want all federations to apply the technology the same way.
That means Riley and the Premier League may be forced to allow their officials to use the monitors more as well as use VAR to check whether the goalkeeper has moved off his line at penalties, which they do not currently do.
Regardless, VAR is here to stay. So, just what has it changed? How different would the Premier League have looked without it?
It has affected more games than not. There have been 216 Premier League games that have included VAR reviews and only 154 without.
Decisions affected other clubs more than others. Wolves are the biggest VAR losers.
In another VAR-less world, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side would be set to dust off their passports ready for the Champions League.
Should VAR not have been there, Wolves would be third going into the last game of the season needing just a point at Chelsea, or for Manchester United to fail to win at Leicester, to qualify for the Champions League.
Manchester City would be five points better off without VAR, and only seven points behind Liverpool rather than 18, making for a more interesting title fight that Jurgen Klopp’s side would still have won.
At the other end, West Ham would have been safe a lot sooner and Aston Villa would be facing a much easier task on Sunday, though it is also worth remembering the point they were potentially saved by goal-line technology’s malfunction against Sheffield United. Spurs are the team that have gained most from VAR this season, without it they would be seven points and three league positions worse off.
Heading into the next season, much awaits to be seen.
