Is VAR ruining football?

After another weekend filled with drama in the premier league, VAR remains to be the main area of discussion. So this poses the question is VAR ruining football?

We all love talking to our friends about the great skill, great goals and great tackles displayed on within games watched over the weekend, but recently the quality on offer in the premier league is overshadowed week after week by the controversy caused by VAR.

This weekend it was the red card shown to Lucas Digne which has divided opinion, alongside the absence of a VAR check for what seemed to be a stonewall penalty for a ‘wrestling move’ on Chelsea’s Cesar Azpilicueta. Here is the problem we face, the inability for officials to get these calls correct with the assistance of technology is killing the excitement and enjoyment of the game. Previously, if the referee had made a mistake it was still mentioned but had to be accepted as he had to make a split second decision based upon one view and angle of an incident. However, now getting these decisions wrong with the chance of multiple viewings and camera angles available is unacceptable and is causing fans to be angered more often than excited, and that isn’t what football is about.

So what next? Although VAR hasn’t been smooth sailing so far, I think if implemented correctly it can only be a good thing for the game we all love, and enhance the matchday experience. In order for this to happen though it is clear that change is needed, and I would like to see ex-professional players at Stockley Park making the pivotal calls. Ex-pros will have played at an elite level for often more than a decade, so their interpretation will take everything into account, and not just what the rule book says. For example, the ball being kicked at another players hand from 2 yards away is a penalty for handball according to the rule book, but if you have a greater understanding of the game you know that a penalty should never be given. This is why pundits are often left outraged by decisions given by VAR, as they tend to be ex-professional footballers so they have first hand experience which is invaluable.

But for now, I think it is safe to say that in the current state of VAR, football as a sport is clearly paying the price as the excitement and quality on offer is being overshadowed more and more as the weeks are passing.