Wolves have taken the drastic step of triggering a Premier League vote on whether to scrap VAR.
The top-flight are unlikely to back such a move, but the Molineux club’s bold stance has sparked debate on how to improve the ailing technology.
Here, Standard Sport proposes a five-point plan to fix VAR and make the tech clear up contentious issues, not exacerbate existing problems.
Wire up for sound
The entire communication around the VAR process must improve. That means broadcasting the conversations between officials on television, and potentially in the stadium.
The current situation of clubs trying to force governing bodies to release audio recordings is a mess, but also avoidable. Ditching pitchside monitors would also help fan engagement and understanding, as any reviews could easily be broadcast on big screens.
Discussions between on-field and TV officials have been happening for years in other sports, and it is time for football to follow suit.
Speed up the process
Football is supposed to be high-octane excitement. The players are built increasingly for punishing and relentless speed, and current officialdom is not keeping pace.
If technological involvement in refereeing decision-making is here to stay, then the least the applicators can do is accelerate the endeavour.
Simplifying every step of the process, and certainly the decision-making framework, will get rid of interminable delays, where fans are left scratching their heads and players standing around getting cold.
Clear up what ‘clear and obvious’ actually means
The phrasing that determines the level of VAR intervention in an on-field decision has caused more harm than good. Rulings are always open to interpretation, and players and managers will always seek loopholes to suit their own ends.
None of that is new, which makes the continued VAR standard of a “clear and obvious error” a puzzling conundrum.
Technological intervention has been in the league since 2019 and yet still no one fully understands what constitutes “clear and obvious”. It is high time for precise definitions.
Create a team of specialist operators
Officials have enough on their plates without having to switch between roles on and off the field. The only way to maximise output from a group operating the technology is to create a team of officials who do nothing else.
A specialist VAR unit ought to improve the speed of operation and the accuracy of outcomes.
Keep final authority with on-field referees
The fear of being overruled must sit in the back of a referee’s mind, no matter how much they fight to keep that doubt at bay.
Before the advance of technology, many right-thinking people in football would lament a mistake but then eventually return to the old adage that the errors even out across the course of a season. Now there are not supposed to be any errors.
Officials must find a way to bring back common sense and put the power back in the referee’s whistle
While a zero mistake count is great for the game, heaping pressure on referees to reach that standard removes any sympathy for the basic human element.
Officials must find a way to bring back common sense and put the power back in the referee’s whistle.
