Understanding VAR

VAR is understood as "video tape to assist the referee" Photo: VPF

VAR is not technology

VAR has become familiar to football fans since it was applied at the 2018 World Cup finals. Currently, VAR is popular in all top football tournaments, such as the Premier League, La Liga or Champions League, Europa League, an estimated 200 football tournaments at all levels, from national teams (NTC), to national championships (VĐQG), domestic cups, youth tournaments... apply.

VAR is still called “VAR technology” by many media outlets, but this is not quite accurate. Literally translated, VAR - Video Assistant Referee is “video tape to assist the referee”, without any “technology” element. Furthermore, calling VAR a technology means it is purely based on science and technology, ignoring the most important factor: humans.

In soccer matches, goal-line is precisely the technology (often called goal-line technology or Goal Decision System) because it uses sensors to determine whether the ball has crossed the goal line to become a goal or not. Goal-line has no relative, only absolute right or wrong and the decision is made entirely based on machines. VAR is different. Video recordings of controversial plays (goal or not, penalty or not, red card or not and wrong card decisions by the main referee) are played back for the VAR referee team to check. If the situation requires intervention, the VAR team will contact the main referee to advise him. In most tournaments, the main referee still has the final decision. He can ignore the advice of the VAR team or stop the match to review the situation on a screen mounted on the field.

Therefore, decisions made with the support of VAR are still prone to errors, such as the VAR team not providing enough video for the main referee to observe or the camera angle is not very clear. Moreover, emotional decisions are inevitable in situations of judging penalties or issuing cards. Of course, without VAR, referees are more likely to make mistakes, because situations on the field happen very quickly, especially offside situations. It should be added that the human eye cannot look at two points at the same time, the point where the player passes the ball and the point where the player runs down to receive the ball, so video support in these situations is very necessary. That is why VAR was born and became popular.

Challenges and expectations from VAR?

VAR is not easy to apply. First is the cost issue. To operate VAR, VPF is expected to spend 3 million USD (equivalent to 70 billion VND), including 3 VAR vehicles, each worth 10 billion VND. In the VAR vehicle, there will be a large server (with a backup server), supporting the processing of 8 input channels for recording signal streams from cameras in the stadium and offside cameras; Xeebra software to display virtual offside situations (this software must have a license from the competent authorities in Vietnam). In addition, there are VAR support devices such as an internal communication system between the referee on the field and the referees in the VAR room.

Next is the human. Recently, 18 referees and assistant referees participating in the VAR training course practiced officiating "matches" with VAR in short-term hypothetical situations to familiarize themselves with the regulations, protocols, and use of technological devices to analyze situations. Only when the referees pass the test from FIFA will Vietnamese football be qualified to operate VAR. It should be added that even in major tournaments, with the world's top referees such as the 2018 World Cup finals or the 2022 World Cup, VAR is still criticized for wasting time. To give a more direct example, in the match between the Vietnamese team and Oman in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, Tien Linh's goal was still recognized, but the way the VAR referee "nitpicked" for 5 minutes caused great frustration for the Vietnamese players and football fans. The motto of VAR since its inception has always been “the smallest intervention, the greatest effect”. In short, no matter how well-trained, referees still need time to get used to and master VAR. But regardless of the controversy, VAR is necessary and a trend in football. It is no coincidence that more and more tournaments are applying this video assistant referee method.

In addition, the appearance of VAR in the V-League will help solve many problems for domestic football. First of all, it will improve the quality of the tournament. A tournament with VAR always has a higher rate of correct referee decisions (according to statistics from FIFA), which means ensuring fairness for matches. Referees also have less pressure when making decisions on the field, thereby escaping the tension. The image of the highest tournament of Vietnamese football has also become more professional and modern in the eyes of fans and international friends. And in addition, the presence of VAR makes "bad players" who like to use tricks and tricks to fool referees or be malicious to opponents "hesitate". Instead of playing "dirty", players must focus on practicing more professionally if they want to win. In short, the appearance of VAR brings many promises and shows the efforts of managers to improve the quality of the V-League.

NGOC TRUNG

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