VAR

I’ve always been a bit skeptical about change in football in general. Football is the greatest sport in the world (in my opinion and also many others), so why introduce something that might affect that? The idea of VAR has never really appealed to me, but I never anticipated it was going to be as much of a disaster as it has been. Football is a fast paced game filled with drama and sometimes decisions go against you and your livid but sometimes they go for you and your over the moon, the unpredictable nature of football is what I always loved about it.

Now with VAR, that should be eliminated but the worst thing about it is the video referee’s are still not consistently making the correct decision. At times they’ve spent minutes re-watching a scenario and yet they still don’t make the right call, firstly they’ve spent millions on this technology the least you’d expect is that their going to give the right call and secondly 2/3 minutes of uncertainty among fans just drains the energy in a ground. These added stoppages are certainly not what football needed.

From a football fans point of view, I’ll watch Liverpool games and when they score I’m hesitant to even celebrate as I’m anxiously waiting to see whether VAR will be called in. I’m sure many other football fans can relate and you can’t actually enjoy the moment of your team scoring without worrying if it will count or not. That thrill when your team scores, nothing in the world compares to it yet VAR is taking this away and over the course of the season my frustration towards it has gradually grown.

What to do now? Well in my opinion it should be scrapped completely. Leave football the way it was, yes there are controversial decisions and referee’s make mistakes but this is what the games all about. I can still remember sitting in my front room in 2009 the night Thierry Henry handled the ball in a World Cup qualifier and knocked Ireland out of the competition, it absolutely broke my heart and if VAR was in place, Ireland would’ve went to the World Cup but there’s been many times since when decisions have gone in favor of Ireland and Liverpool so I don’t still sit here and think I wish VAR was in place 11 years ago and Ireland went to the World Cup. LEAVE THE GAME THE WAY IT WAS.