The International Football Association Board (IFAB) is looking to change rules this weekend to allow for Video Assisted Refereeing (VAR) to be used in the 2018 World Cup. This possible change has been highly criticized by fans and coaches, including former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who claimed the World Cup is not the place to "experiment."A lot of the outrage comes from yesterday's embarrassing controversy during the Tottenham-Rochdale match in the fifth-round of the FA Cup. The use of VAR generated nearly nine minutes of stoppage time, throwing off the players, coaches, refs, and fans. The use of video technology is to close help eliminate game-changing mistakes by referees, but some are arguing that those mistakes and emotion is what makes football, football.
Fans also fear that FIFA wants to use VAR as another revenue stream by sponsoring each review, only further disrupting the game and angering the fans.
Share your thoughts about the use of VAR technology in the comments below
Do the pros outweigh the cons for VAR technology?
Is is appropriate to implement trial-stage technology on the world stage?
Do you think VAR will ultimately be successful?
Sources:
http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/11271684/former-fifa-president-sepp-blatter-against-using-var-at-world-cup
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/685154/world-cup-2018-var-video-referee-sponsor-russia-technology
I think that using VAR could be very beneficial if done so in the proper way and capacity. First off, I don't think that the technology should be utilized until there's more confidence that it is glitch free and operating properly. Second off, the World Cup is not the time to be experimenting on new technology. Instead, it should slowly be integrated into the regular season.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I think that if implicated properly, VAR could actually be extremely beneficial to the game of futbol. I understand the concerns of changing the game of futbol, but it is used very successfully in many other sporting leagues, such as the NFL, without compromising the game. In fact, it could bring the game to a whole new level by being able to fairly and confidently decide on close calls. Overall, I do see a promising future for VAR technology in futbol.
- Siobhan O'Loughlin
I totally agree that the VAR technology would be beneficial for the accuracy of calls in football, but should not be implemented during the World Cup. It has been on a "trial period" throughout the past year and has time-and-time-again failed to show that all of the bugs are worked out, but officials still want to utilize it on the big stage. In contrast to using video technology in the NFL, I think it's completely different than in football. In the NFL, each play last 6-7 seconds followed by a stoppage of 30-40 seconds, so a 5-minute pause to check a play is no big deal. In football, the clock keeps going for 90 minutes with little to no stops. The beauty of football is how it is non-stop the entire game, and implementing stoppage to review calls will need to be slow in order to not screw up the flow of the game.
DeleteI absolutely agree with Siobhan. While I would argue against using the VAR technology in the upcoming World Cup, given the current operating malfunctions and lack of confidence in the system from fans, players, coaches and referees, I do think that the technology possesses the potential to positively impact the world of futbol.
ReplyDeleteGiven this, however, one of the factors I would consider when looking at the pros and cons of implementing the VAR technology is the costs associated with it. Is there any kind of data on how much the VAR system costs? Would this be a cost that the individual clubs would have to account for in their yearly expenses, or would the IFAB cover the costs?
As far as getting the fans onboard, I would imagine this will just require time. I remember when the MLB first introduced the Replay Review in 2015, my dad was really annoyed because he thought it would slow down the game (one that is already seen as too slow by many baseball fans!). However, in the past few years, it's become an integral part of the game, and I even find my dad yelling "Use your replay challenge!" when he finds a call questionable.
So, I think once the big glitches are fix, VAR's use in a match won't bother fans, especially if these VAR's are only being used when it is deemed absolutely necessary, such as in times of indecisiveness between live referees, or potential game-changing.
- Jenna
I'm not sure on the cost of the VAR systems, but would assume they are covered by the governing body to standardize the quality of the technology across all clubs. I like your analogy with respect to the video replay in baseball, the only difference is how fast football is compared to baseball. In this case, the stoppage will feel like an eternity to football fans who are used to quick 90-minute games of non-stop play. But you are right, all it does is take time and eventually it will be an integral part of the game.
DeleteThis is a trend in many sports. Tennis, American football, baseball, and so many have the instant reply capabilities now. At the time of introduction, these capabilities were disliked, but now it is a part of game strategy. As Jenna alluded to, in baseball the manager gets one challenge. It is now part of the strategy of the game when to use that challenge.
ReplyDeleteI agree that they should not be implementing this on such a big stage. These advancements have to start lower so changes can be made before making it to the big leagues. The nba uses the g-league to practice new technologies. I think these has to be something like this prior to implementation at the World Cup.
-alison
I love how it has become a strategical play on baseball and especially American football as it adds another aspect to the game and makes everything a little more interesting. They did try to use it during the past year, but just about everyone the their mother has been disappointed with its performance. Using the technology in lower tier leagues first would be a great way to prove its capabilities, and well worth the investment from FIFA.
DeleteThere are definitely some positive aspects that VAR brings to the table but is it worth compromising the natural flow of the game? I believe that there is a time and place for it but in order for it to be effective there needs to be strict time constraints so that the stoppage of play is kept to a minimum. It is essential to get the call right in every instance but what I do not want to see is referees to become too reliant on the machine. You have seen the success instant replay has in sports like basketball, football, and in recent years baseball. But even with all that success there are still some negative aspects to it like slow play.
ReplyDeleteMichael Strode