Will VAR Be Used at the World Cup?

With that being said, the referee still requires some assistance when it comes to awarding goals, free kicks and assessing difficult situations. Usually, the one official who helps with this is the video assistant referee (VAR). Let’s find out some more about this.

What is the VAR?

The video assistant referee has a primary role in football matches. They serve the purpose of reviewing decisions made by the head referee via video footage. As well as this, the VAR can also stay in contactwith the head  referee through communication via a headset; this is to ensure there is no miscommunication.

In the past, there has been some research conducted to find out whether head referees do use theirmotive and bias to make decisions for football teams and singular players. As football is such a fast-paced game, sometimes there is little opportunity to assess the situation as everything is over so quickly. However, these situations must be assessed to ensure the game is being played safely and fairly.

To put it plainly, the VAR is available to assist the referee with decision making. As football is such a highly gambled sport alongside betting at casinos such as GGPoker where millions are bet on the outcome of matches across the world, there is a requirement for the sport to be treated with equality and fairness. There should be equal opportunities on both sides of the pitch, not just for the teams and the players, but also for the customers of bookies and betting sites.

VAR in practice

The 2019-20 Premier League saw VARs used for the first time and the process received mixed feelings from the players and fans. Despite these emotions, the VAR is evidently required now that it has been brought in at such a late stage in football. Several studies have been conducted by sports psychologists to find out the meanings behind referee decision making. It was found that the crowd and atmosphere in general can influence referee decision making. Similar research has also found that referees are less likely to give yellow and red cards to home teams.

Future of VAR

Video assistant referees were trialled at the 2017 Confederations Cup and subsequently used at the World Cup in Russia. Due to this, it was initially thought that VAR would be present during the qualifying matches of the EURO 2020. Recent news suggests VAR will be used in the 2022 World Cup, but this is met with some hostility.

As controversial as VAR is in the football realm, it is still required to minimise human error. There have been games in the past when VAR has been used and it has often led to arguments surrounding whether the final decision was the right one. It seems apparent that the different groups within the realm will simply agree to disagree about VAR and its future.

There has been some controversy over a late game between Glasgow Rangers and St Johnstone, as the latter team were very unhappy with the referee’s decision-making process throughout the match. St Johnstone believed they should have been awarded a penalty near to the beginning of the game. The use of VAR might have made this less controversial.

Do you think VAR should be used at the world cup?