AFCON2023: AFRICAN REFEREES ENHANCING THE INTEGRITY OF VAR

The growth of football within the past century has witnessed several changes in its rules and regulations. The need to make it more attractive, safe, and health-friendly has remained the motive for these changes. Some of these modifications especially during the past three decades were tested and reversed in some cases, such as the sudden death rule, and in other cases, such as the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) rules, that was ratified. The (VAR), a modern technological innovation was put on mock trial for over an entire football season before its adoption and despite the outcry about its conflicting application in recent times, its use at the AFCON2023 competition in Cote d’Ivoire has been so far, commendable.

WHAT IS VAR?

Simply put, it involves the use of live television/video monitors to review the infractions during live football matches. It is managed by a human video assistant referee. Its use covers the following:

See: 4 categories covered by VAR

After several mock trials to solve refereeing errors, in 2018, the video assistant referee system was introduced, into the rules and regulations of football. It marked an important evolution to solve several irredeemable match outcomes which has caused pain to several fans and prevented football teams and players from achieving the results for their efforts. The entire nation of Northern Ireland was brought into mourning through Thierry Henry’s goal scored by hand. This goal prevented them from participating in the 2010 World Cup to the benefit of France. Luiz Diaz's goal for Liverpool against Tottenham Hotspur FC in the week 5 of the 2013/24 English Premier League, could have turned the outcome of the match, but the almighty VAR, thought otherwise. The conflicting interpretation of football rules and regulations, using VAR has also become another worrisome action. The wide broadcast of the English Premier League has begun to make VAR lose much of its integrity, resulting from its inconsistencies.

So far, the use of the VAR at the AFCON2023 has been impeccable and makes questionable its conflicting application in the English Premier League. With the better organized football league in England and the rest of Europe against the reverse situation, wherein African referees ply their trade in their country's football leagues where in most cases, VAR has not been put to use, it becomes evident that as enunciated elsewhere, there could be other reasons why its application is questionable in England!

The huge financial investments involved in modern football have made the outcomes of matches of great importance and the introduction of VAR was done to reduce the refereeing errors to a very marginal ratio. Could the money power of the betting industry be involved in the conflicting application of VAR? This question is important since the greatest outcry about its inconsistencies arises from the English Premier League, which is the biggest football league in the World!

African referees and their supporting VAR teams could be creating another revenue path for themselves if their impeccable performances continue throughout the entire competition. Engaging them in part-time work in the EPL might not be out of place but it would certainly amount to job losses for their counterparts in England, which the English Premier League Management would unlikely want to patronize.  

• VAR is More of A BusinessThan Football Decision

The Video Assistant Referee technology was formally introduced into the rules of football in 2018, after several mock trials. Hitherto several heartbreaking refereeing decisions have caused pain for teams on the receiving end. Northern Ireland missed the opportunity of participating in the 2010 World Cup through the handball goal scored by French strike, Thierry Henry; Diego Maradona’s hand of god goal against England, in the WC 1986 and Geoff Hurst’s controversial goal against then Western Germany at the 1966 WC final, are part of the listless issues which human refereeing issues have caused in football. Fast forward less than ten years after its introduction, VAR appears to be more of a business, rather than a sporting decision, since it has still not turned refereeing decisions error-free. More so, VAR still relies on human decision-making rather than otherwise. 

What is VAR? 

Simply put, it involves the use of live television/video monitors to review the infractions during live football matches. It is managed by a human video assistant referee. 

Its use covers the following below; 

 There are four categories of decisions that can be reviewed.

[1] Goal/no goal – The attacking team commits an offence, ball out of play, ball entering goal, offside, handball, offences and encroachment during penalty kicks.

(2)  Penalty/no penalty – attacking team commits an offence, ball out of play, location of offence, incorrect awarding, offence not penalised. 

(3) Direct red card – denial of obvious goal-scoring opportunity, serious foul play, violent conduct/biting/spitting, using offensive/insulting/abusive language or gestures. 

(4) Mistaken identity in awarding a red or yellow card. 

THE FALLACY OF VAR 

- It is still based on human decisions and judgment as evident from its failure during the two most recent matches between Tottenham Hotspur FC vs Liverpool FC, in the English Premier League. (1) (2). Human error remains in its use.

 - Its sustenance has increased media broadcast time and worsened the health of players through the longer time they spend on-field, against the stipulated time for this game. Averagely, every football match has been made to have an increased time of 10-15mins, as a result of VAR checks and reviews. The writer believes the former assertion is the most critical reason for its introduction. An increased broadcast time to advertisers is big money to the managers of football across the world! 

 - Human error can never be removed or isolated from every human action and/or activity and accordingly, VAR technology can never be a solution to solving human errors in football and/or any other sport. 

 Irrespective of the efforts to make football error-free, it can never completely determine the final outcomes of games as was evident in the 1999 UEFA Champions League final between Bayern Munich FC and Manchester United FC, wherein the English team won by two extremely late goals after staying behind for virtually the entire game! The celebrated VAR Wahala* was created during the English Premier League, week 7 match between Tottenham FC and Liverpool, the latter still lost by an own goal scored by its own player. This shows that beyond team superior tactics and quality of players, teams also lose matches genuinely by human error, as highlighted here by Joel Matip’s goal against his own team, at the last minute of the game! The beauties of man’s successes and failures; victories and losses, can never be isolated from our actions! A second thought about the use of VAR would help. We had models such as Pierluigi Collina distinguish himself as a referee and its still possible to have more focused umpires.

 • Wahala – A Nigerian pidgin English word to connote ‘’problem’