With a Premier League club triggering a process that could see the league remove Video Assistant Referee (VAR) from its matches, it is worth pondering life before the technological invasion.
Wolverhampton Wanderers proposed that voting take place to determine the fate of VAR. It is due to take place at next month's annual general meeting between top-flight clubs.
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Wolves explained their reasoning behind their desire for the system to be scrapped from the league, and perhaps many would consider their reasoning to be rational.
"After five seasons of VAR in the Premier League, it is time for a constructive and critical debate on its future. Our position is that the price we are paying for a small increase in accuracy is at odds with the spirit of our game, and as a result we should remove it from the 2024-25 season onwards," the club said in a statement, per The Guardian.
It has also been reported that the EPL feel that abolishing VAR would result in more incorrect decisions. The number of correct decisions in the league this season is 96%, which is an improvement on the rate of 82% before its introduction. It is a significant improvement but for what the beautiful game gained in terms of numbers, it has lost the essential elements that attract people to the sport.
Referees have been handed a great tool to assist them in their duties, but they still seem to get criticised. Recently in the UEFA Champions League semi-final between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, which saw the latter reach the final, a talking point about the match was when defender Matthijs de Ligt put the ball in the back of the net but the linesman immediately raised the flag for offside before the move could be completed.
The officials received plenty of criticism from the player and Bavarians manager Thomas Tuchel. Perhaps they would have liked the referee to allow play to continue and consult VAR after the move had been completed. Before the introduction of the review system, referees were also being criticised for making wrong decisions; something they have not been immune to since it was brought into the league. It seems as though referees will be on the receiving end of frustrations one way or the other.
They are also criticised for not referring to VAR during the making of those 'poor' decisions. The issue with that is there would be so many stoppages with in a game that most people want to see flow. It is why referees try to play advantage as much as possible and there will always be a desire for teams to play 'free-flowing football' – an essence of the game.
People do not want to see periodical breaks in play for referees to ensure that every single decision they make is correct. It works well in rugby because of the sport's intensity, so a break in play would always be welcomed. In football, however, teams work so hard to gain momentum to control certain spells of the game and those intervals would play a big role in breaking that up.
In hindsight, it was as though an obnoxious know-it-all entered the frame with a desire to spoil everybody's good moments. For instance, the immediate celebration and relief that comes after a team perhaps scored a stoppage-time equaliser perhaps no longer exists, and VAR is taking away that emotional aspect of the game away from players, fans and those in the technical area.
These days, a stunning late goal can be scored but it cannot truly be celebrated right away. There is this pause, a moment of intensity, as the officials deliberate on whether or not the goal could stand. Players cannot run to celebrate with passionate fans because when the decisions is made, the moment is over and that elation has subsided.
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