Video assistant referee (VAR) is a system that helps referees to decide better about players fouls, if a goal was valid, red card decisions, etc. in soccer matches. When the referee is going to review a play on the field at the VAR box, they outline a square with their hands, as if showing the outline of a TV screen. It was used for the first time in the 2016 FIFA Club World Cup. [1] It was used for the first time for international matches in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. [2] The first time VAR was used in the FIFA World Cup was in the 2018 World Cup.[3]
In March 2018, the VAR was permanentely written into the Laws of the Game by the International Football Association Board (IFAB).[4]
There are 3 categories of decisions that can be reviewed:
- Goal/No Goal: if the ball went inside or did not go inside of the goal, ball went out of play, foul, offside, or handball.
- Penalty/No Penalty: ball went out of play, dive, foul was in or outside the box, handball, or foul was not penalised.
- Red/Yellow Card: violent conduct, hitting/spitting/kicking/punching another player, coach, or referee, mistaken identity or incorrect card given, or decision to award a yellow or red card.
The referee can review the play on the field by going to the VAR box, listen to the VAR's recommendation, or completely ignore the VAR advice. The referee can only review the play on the field with recommendation of the VAR to prevent the referee from relying on it too much.
The VAR system has been criticised by many people, mostly because of how much time is used up in reviews, overly relying on it, and causing confusion. Manager Mauricio Pochettino said "it made everyone confused". He also said that he felt sorry for the fans and for the referee after an FA Cup match.[5]
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