A few games into the 2020/21 Premier League campaign, and the VAR debate is raging once again.
Despite having a season in which to get to grips with the technology, and not pore over irrelevant minutiae, it appears that there are still huge strides to be made with the application of the video referee.
The issues are manifold.
For ease, let’s remind ourselves that VAR should only be invoked when there has been a clear and obvious error. Be that a decision that the on-pitch official either has or hasn’t made.
As a secondary problem, the official should always be consulting the pitch-side monitor to ensure that the correct decision is reached, but that hasn’t always been the case and confusion has reigned as a result.
No wonder Crystal Palace’s Andros Townsend isn’t impressed.
“I’ve never been a fan of VAR,” he told talkSPORT.
“It ruins the raw emotion of football […] we need to get rid of it.”
? “I’ve never been a fan of VAR.”
? “It ruins the raw emotion of football.”
? “We need to get rid of it!”#CPFC winger @Andros_Townsend wants the Premier League to scrap VAR now!
What do you think? ? pic.twitter.com/w2cZBs6oUd
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) October 27, 2020
He’s unlikely to be alone in thinking that football would be much better off without the technology, unless those that are administering it actually get it right.
Offside decisions that are down to the millimetre are becoming the bane of football clubs throughout the league, not to mention the ghastly handball ruling.
It does seem like VAR is here to stay, but the refereeing body, PGMOL, must be held to account if things continue as they are presently.