On Saturday evening, West Bromwich Albion secured a remarkable victory over Liverpool, but the match itself was almost overshadowed by yet more video assistant referee (VAR) controversy. It’s been a difficult couple of weeks for the new system, with criticism rising. It started out being perceived as a salve for the game’s ills but has rapidly become another needless complication.
Only in place for televised FA Cup ties as it stands, the VAR trial in England isn’t going well so far. Several of the problems that its opponents foresaw have been in evidence, while others have also come to light. The fourth round match at Anfield was a great example, highlighting so much of what's wrong with VAR and football's misguided pursuit of an unachievable perfection.
It all started with a frantic, and controversy-free, opening 11 minutes, which featured three goals. Roberto Firmino’s delicate chip was cancelled out by Jay Rodriguez’s thumping shot into the top corner before the striker tapped in his second after a neat move to put the visitors in front. Then everything started to get a little silly.
Craig Dawson rose highest to head in what would have been West Brom’s third goal from a corner but the referee elected to check in with VAR. The effort was disallowed as Gareth Barry had strayed into an offside position as Dawson made contact and was deemed to have interfered with Simon Mignolet’s line of sight. The right decision was probably arrived at but it was a sign of things to come, as Craig Pawson became increasingly reliant on outside assistance.
Must not upset them must we
Soon there will be nothing to talk about on way home from game every decision right
BORING
There was a long delay as a tug on Mohamed Salah was investigated and a penalty belatedly awarded to Liverpool. The West Brom players were outraged and undoubtedly felt vindicated at Roberto Firmino’s subsequent miss. Worse than anything was the time taken to arrive at a decision, which spoilt the flow of the game and left supporters at the ground in the dark about what was going on.
This became a recurring theme as the evening wore on. VAR may lend itself to the experience of watching on television, but drains the atmosphere in the stadium and creates confusion for those present. It made the occasion and the two teams more difficult for Pawson to manage and led to even more questioning of his calls. The referee’s insecurities were preyed upon and VAR became overused. The system essentially acted as a safety net.
If the first two decisions arrived at with the aid of VAR were ultimately correct, the process was still dissatisfying for all concerned. What use is a right call on a marginal issue when it comes at such great cost to the spectacle and the wider credibility of officials? Mistakes are inevitable and we shouldn’t set so much store by them. Rarely, if ever, are they defining. And unlike goal-line technology, many of the issues VAR seeks to address are subjective. There can be no definitive answer.
Dawson finally got on the scoresheet later in the first half, following further recourse to VAR, and West Brom went in 3-1 ahead. Unfortunately, things were descending into farce. Many were inclined to blame Pawson, but his position, like that of all other referees, had already been compromised by the introduction of VAR. It implied that they needed help and their judgement could be justifiably questioned.
Mercifully the second half wasn’t affected to anywhere near the same extent, although there was the faintly ludicrous sight of VAR being consulted in an instance where six West Brom players happened to be offside. Overall, it was an entertaining yet strange game, marred by a supposedly simple and benign technology. If the intention of using the system was to remove the unnecessary focus on referees then it’s done anything but.