What is the newly introduced VAR system.

VAR, also known as a Video Assistant Referee, offers additional guidance to the match officials about some of the problems concerning football which may influence the majority of the match. Examples of these predicaments are; offside calls, hand-balls, goals, penalty decisions and red card incidents. Video Assistant Referees are useful as if these issues occur then it could be identified as game-changing and for the game to be fair this is a big boost for many clubs and officials.

Due to the rising influence of technology, the referees can contact officials via an Apple watch, or a similar device. Even a mic could be used so each decision made will not be argued upon by the players in the match due to it the judgment being reviewed. If the Referee wants further evaluation then he can go to the touchline and view it on a Pad for himself to confirm as well.

VAR is going to be used in the 2018 World Cup!

The World cup in Russia will use the VAR system but it's not the first time it's been used, as in the recent Euros it was used and impacted the game in a positive way. This will be used in this major competition, and then will be used in most of the leagues in Europe.

Let's hope this reviewing system will help bring solidarity and validity to the game. Most decisions could be controversial, that even in some circumstances the technology may not be useful but allowing the referee to overlook and come up with his final decision could be useful. However, as a Referee, it's their duty to know what the right decision is and they shouldn't really need this technology. Another negative of using VAR in matches is that it could slow the momentum in the game and could result in a lot of time being wasted, resulting in more additional time, which will slow the tempo and mean matches go on for a longer duration. After the previous success of other technology being introduced to the game, such as goal-line technology, video assistant referees could also be a beneficial influence on the game.

Function of the VAR

The function of the VAR is to ensure that no there are no incorrect decisions that are made in association with sending off or not sending off a player. The decision taken to the referee decides to review the video footage on the side of the field of play on a Pad before taking the relevant action/conclusion, or the referee receives the information from the VARs and takes the appropriate decision.