By Henry Rounce
OPINION: Last night, the Video Assisted Referees (VAR) system was trialled live for the first time with an A-League team. Hopefully, it'll be the last.
In the 55th minute of the friendly match between the Wellington Phoenix and Beijing BG, the ball was knocked into the box. Dylan Fox tumbled over and referee Alan Milliner decided it was worth another look.
The reason this system has been created is to correct wrong decisions. But funnily enough, no matter how many times we zoomed in on Fox and whether his ankles were clipped, or played the footage back and forward, it still wasn't conclusive. In the end, Griffiths-Jones gave the penalty, but the call was debatable at best.
The process didn't take forever, but it took long enough. Football doesn't need any more disruption to it, not with the way players roll around on the ground every time an elbow gets anywhere near their face. The reason goal line technology works is because it's basically instant, and provides a clear cut decision.
Using a video referee has the ability to turn football into a farce. Will the referee have to go upstairs every time a player's through on goal, to check whether it was offside? Football's a contact sport, at every corner players grapple and battle to get to the ball first. Will the referee have to check that as well?
Australia is one of several countries to experiment with the VAR trials, along with the MLS in America and the Bundesliga in Germany. The VAR can be used in the following ways:
- Goal scored - looking at the build-up to a goal, including offside, foul, hand ball or any other relevant infringements or offences.
- Penalty decision - were there any infringements within or nearby the penalty area, resulting in a (potential) penalty kick, or was a penalty awarded incorrectly?
- Direct red card incident - was it a red card or should it have been one?
- Mistaken identity - was a yellow or red card given to the wrong person?
Worryingly, it appears the VAR will come into play in Round 26 and 27 of the A-League, as well as the finals series. Despite all the trials, the system is still raw. Think of cricket, and their Decision Review System which was launched in 2009. That's still creating problems. Using a video referee in football will have plenty of issues.
Sure, I want the correct decision every time. I get just as frustrated as anyone else when my team gets a rough call. But it's part of the game. Sometimes it goes your way, other times it doesn't.