Is VAR good for football?

Encyclopedia of Opinion

Question: Is VAR good for football?
Position1 of 3›: Yes: Technology is great for football
Argument‹2 of 3›: VAR makes football fairer

More correct decisions leads to a level playing field for both sides

The argument

Goalline technology came too late for West Germany in 1966 - some fans still refuse to believe Geoff Hurst's second goal crossed the line - and England in 2010, when Frank Lampard's shot against Germany definitely crossed the line. However, since its introduction to the World Cup in 2014, it has worked seamlessly and those arguments are consigned to the past. Players know that if a goal is scored, it will be awarded. Likewise with offsides under the VAR system, players know that if a player was offside when he or she scored, play will be brought back. That creates a level playing field and helps enhance the fairness in which the game is played. It ends debates over whether a team fairly or unfairly won a match, especially because the more technology is used, the fewer obvious fouls are being missed by match officials.

Context

The technology football now uses means that certain decisions can - in theory - no longer be awarded incorrectly. No more controversy over whether a ball crossed the goalline. All goals are checked for offside, eliminating offside goals being unfairly given.

Premises

[P1]Before video technology, clear errors like Frank Lampard's uncounted 2010 goal decided matches unfairly. [P2] Since its 2014 World Cup introduction, VAR has reliably ensured legitimate goals are awarded and offside goals disallowed. [P3] This creates a level playing field, ends disputes over whether a team won fairly, and means fewer obvious fouls are missed. [C] Therefore, because VAR makes football fairer, technology is great for football.

Counter-arguments

The main counter argument to technology making the game fairer is that it comes at the cost of constant stoppages and reviews for every single goal scored, every single penalty award as well as other infringements. Judging whether a ball has crossed the line or a player is offside is not the same as judging whether a player has committed a bad foul or deliberately handled the ball to gain an advantage. In that sense, fairness is only relative.

Rejecting the premises

Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter was among those keen to avoid introducing technology into football, claiming that it would only lead to frustration. However, even he changed his stance following the Lampard header against Germany in the 2010 World Cup. The old adage is that over time, good and bad luck will even out, so therefore even without technology, any team will get its fair share of good and bad decisions.