Vocal Voices

I was always against it and said that it would ruin the spectacle of the game, and it is looking as though I was right. Even the people who said that it was going to be the best thing since sliced bread have changed their minds, even the air-head media pundits.

A few football blogs have votes going on and hardly anyone is now in favour of VAR.

The problem the football authorities have got is that now it has been brought in they cannot climb down and get rid, so they will stick with it. Sadly that is an attitude we see every day in all walks of life. Maybe players, managers, clubs and owners should get together and force the issue.

On the other hand goal-line technology has worked. It is instant and is yes / no - job done.

I don't tend to frequent games with VAR enabled technology, I'm still at the "Oi, ref, where's yer glasses?" level ....

But it always seemed to me that it would inevitably make football "stop-start", and football is definitely not that sort of game. Nor is rugby union / league. American football I can understand by the nature of the game, but other sports no. I don't watch televised soccer but I wonder, do they cut away to adverts when there's a VAR referral?

No. They tend to endlessly debate why it was or was not a penalty and then when the VAR decision is made they then bang on about why VAR got it right or wrong. It's all bit like the old days and being in the pub after the match - 'Deffo a pen', 'Don't be daft, he threw himself to the ground', What! He was a victim of GBH', 'Mine's a bitter and a pack of scratchings, ta'.

VAR has not solved anything, all it has done is to bring the 'debate' forward by a few hours.... and ruined the football.

It's awful isn't it? Add it to the new halfwitted hand ball rule and you are in for some very unfair decisions.
VAR seems mainly to exist for nitpicking through the build up to a goal and seeing if there is any reason they can find to rule it out.
You regularly see top professionals and managers showing no adverse reaction to a goal and getting ready to restart - then here comes VAR with the revelation that Villa's number 4 had his toenail half an inch beyond the last defender, so goal denied? It's a joke, everybody knows it but the rule makers won't admit it.