Reinventing Football: Fans have their say on which laws should change
Former England striker Ellen White said VAR had “taken away the joy and emotion when a goal is scored” for both players and fans, while former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock said there was “too much inconsistency and it’s due to human error and that’s still a big problem”.
Match of the Day presenter Gabby Logan doesn’t think we should get rid of VAR, but says: “There should be a 90-second rule. If it’s not clear and clear in 90 seconds, it’s not loud and clear.”
What fans said:
– Owen: Learn from cricket with VAR and only go to VAR at the captain’s request… Three requests per match for each team. This will mean fewer VAR calls and will be relevant in cases where there are truly obvious errors, not just minor errors.
Barry: I would change VAR to only be activated if the referee requests a check, similar to rugby.
What are you doing? If something takes more than a minute, it’s not obvious. The referees have a big enough team on the field, VAR is an unnecessary addition and I would like to know the cost to the clubs and why they don’t scrap it.
-Mike: Get rid of VAR completely. We lived through a 120-odd year old system where football was football. Now this is a waste of time.
-Charlie: Why aren’t referees allowed to request to see the monitor themselves? Stop having the VAR tell the referee what to do and let the referee use the VAR. If the referee is unsure, he should ask the VAR to show the issue on the monitor rather than waiting five minutes.
What Chris Foy said: “Regarding VAR and its protocol, when the VAR (or another match official) recommends a ‘review’ and the referee suspects something serious has been overlooked, the referee may initiate a ‘review’ for a possible ‘clear and obvious error’ or ‘serious missed incident’.
“Time limits on checks are difficult to enforce because in some cases checks have many moving parts.”
Dale Johnson added: “The problem with putting time limits on investigations is that the necessary evidence may not be available immediately.
“Last season, in the VAR review for Liverpool’s penalty against Wolves, VAR appeared ready to back the decision after the first few angles, but on the next replay it became clear that the attacker had initiated the contact.
“This may have remained as a punishment for a while. There is no doubt that if you put a time limit, wrong decisions may not be overturned.”
