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Should VAR be used in football? Should VAR be used in football?
Yes. VAR is a net positive to the game Yes. VAR is a net positive to the game
No. VAR has made football worse No. VAR has made football worse
Yes, but something needs to change Yes, but something needs to change
VAR makes the game fairer VAR makes the game fairer
VAR will reduce cheating and fouling VAR will reduce cheating and fouling
VAR can create a more attacking game VAR can create a more attacking game
Normal referees make too many mistakes Normal referees make too many mistakes
Goal-line technology in football was a great success Goal-line technology in football was a great success
VAR should lead to less complaining VAR should lead to less complaining
Fans can no longer celebrate goals in the same way Fans can no longer celebrate goals in the same way
Mistakes are part of the game Mistakes are part of the game
VAR kills the passion of the game VAR kills the passion of the game
VAR takes too long VAR takes too long
Football is too free-flowing for VAR Football is too free-flowing for VAR
VAR can't review everything VAR can't review everything
VAR could be fixed if it allowed for the 'benefit of the doubt' VAR could be fixed if it allowed for the 'benefit of the doubt'
VAR is being deliberately sabotaged in England VAR is being deliberately sabotaged in England
Video review has been a success in other sports Video review has been a success in other sports
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Should VAR be used in football?
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Yes, but something needs to change

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VAR is being deliberately sabotaged in England

The Premier League and its referees do not want VAR to succeed. As a result, they are deliberately implementing it as badly as possible to see it scrapped.
Son-Heung Min
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Context

VAR stands for Video assistance referee and is a new way technology is used to help football referees on the field when they make decisions. They are mainly used for determining goals, penalty decisions, direct red cards or mistaken identity incidents. The video footage helps the referee to take a decision after viewing the video material. Anyhow, the use of VAR is controversially discussed as it could potentially underpin the role of the referee on the field.

The Argument

The VAR technology in itself has proven to be a very useful tool in helping the referee on the field to get a second view on an incident through the videos that can cover more angles and perspectives than the human eye. However, certain referees and the British Premier League don’t want VAR to succeed and want to see it scrapped. This is why they make an effort to implement it as bad as they can and encourage a bad media coverage of VAR. This hurts the advancement of football with technology and is counterproductive. Certain especially controversial VAR decisions are put forward to discredit the entire system all together. For instance, the decision of Jonathan Moss in the 1-1 draw between Tottenham and Sheffield United has been about deciding on an offside based on the big toenail of Lundstram. Critics argue that if he had a smaller shoe size, the decision would have been different. Such examples show that VAR should be reformed and have clearer guidelines on how to decide in situations with small margins. Anyhow, this shouldn’t serve as an excuse for sabotaging the overall use of VAR in the Premier League.

Counter arguments

VAR should indeed be scrapped from the Premier League as it kills what football once was. VAR has a margin of error up to 38,8cm (14 inches) which proves that it is less effective than its proponents claim. It doesn’t allow for fully certain decision making and as a result is not making football fairer or better.

Proponents

Framing

VAR is a good opportunity for football that shouldn’t be scrapped.

Premises

Technological advancement is good for advancement and shouldn’t be hindered by internal forces.

Rejecting the premises

Technological advancement is bad, it is better to conserve the status quo.

References

This page was last edited on Wednesday, 17 Jun 2020 at 11:39 UTC

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