Get rid of VAR NOW! We want our game back! (...or not, some are happy)

[SilentWitness]

The way it is employed is the problem. There are apparently 'clear' rules for when it's used but the actions haven't showed that. They need to improve the way they use it hugely and I'd be very surprised if they didn't spent lockdown preparing how they would for next season. If they haven't then they're a joke.

 

[ICHM]

Terrible idea and implemented badly. Hate it.

 

[Drainy]

The benefit of the doubt goes to the attacker useless cnut in black

 

[peridigm]

The last two decisions make no sense. They showed Matic’s foot was offside yet the goal was given. They showed the defenders arm was keeping Rashford onside for his last goal yet it’s called back.

 

[Sara125]

I vehemently believe they should change the offside rule so that your whole body has to be further forward for it to be offside. All this eyelash length offside nonsense is NOT a clear advantage!

 

[Shane88]

Players just chance it and ask the refs for VAR after every goal now and the refs oblige for a quiet life. There is no downside to it. It should be an immediate yellow for approaching the ref after a goal.

 

[NinjaFletch]

I vehemently believe they should change the offside rule so that your whole body has to be further forward for it to be offside. All this eyelash length offside nonsense is NOT a clear advantage!

It doesn't make a difference. You just create a different point where the 'eyelash line' is.

 

[ha_rooney]

Matic is offside, but I thought the defender just played Rashford onside so that should’ve stood. Also not reviewing the high tackle in the first half, not sure why.

 

[RepardReece]

Feel it's been dreadful today, so many poor decisions. That wasn't a penalty, the free kick in truth should not have stood and Rashford was not onside. All incorrect decisions in my eyes. What idiots are reviewing the footage? Did they purposefully rule Rashfords goal offside because of their mistakes for Fernandes' free-kick?

Genuinely fed up of it today, it's been a right mess.

 

[Member 90887]

It should have been easily a red for that foot at knee height.

Definitely no penalty against bailly.

And this looked like Rashford was not offside. I don't know what they're smoking there.

 

[Zlatan 7]

Players just chance it and ask the refs for VAR after every goal now and the refs oblige for a quiet life. There is no downside to it. It should be an immediate yellow for approaching the ref after a goal.

I know it seems that way but Every goal is checked anyway. It a shambles with no consistency.

the other night they took about 3 minutes measuring someone’s head offside when he was by the keeper and his head was clearly a foot offside (forgot who) then today rashford goal is really tight and they just seem to check it in a few seconds and skip over it.

the feeling of anxiety I’m getting after goals scored even in meaningless games is madness. I dread to Think what it’d be like in final Matches of competitions/ tight games etc.

And it’s all for what? I’m extremely doubtful the postitives of one or two right decisions out weighs this mess that still has shambolic decisions anyway.

 

[Zlatan 7]

So mad that not everybody can see this. Real emperor’s new clothes shit. It’s right there in front our eyes and it’s ruining the game. How can anyone disagree?!?

I struggle to see how people prefer to see this in the game.

the main plus point i used to see was it’ll bring the right decisions and outcomes of the games will be fair. I don’t think that’s happening at the moment

 

[Annihilate Now!]

It should have been easily a red for that foot at knee height.

Definitely no penalty against bailly.

And this looked like Rashford was not offside. I don't know what they're smoking there.

I think the Rashford would should be held up as offside cos the linesman flagged...

In my dream VAR scenario they go for the cricket system...where any super tight calls (where lines overlap) go with the on the pitch call.

 

[Jev]

I vehemently believe they should change the offside rule so that your whole body has to be further forward for it to be offside. All this eyelash length offside nonsense is NOT a clear advantage!

This. Same as with the ball and the goalline, all of it has to be over the line. Would make for clearer decisions without any interpretation.

Also, VAR is still ruining football.

 

[Sara125]

This. Same as with the ball and the goalline, all of it has to be over the line. Would make for clearer decisions without any interpretation.

Also, VAR is still ruining football.

Yep. I was definitely one of the ones in favour of VAR at first but now I am not too sure...

 

[Nick7]

The Rashford goal was given offside on the pitch. That wasn’t a VAR decision. They checked if they could over turn the offside decision.

 

[NinjaFletch]

The Rashford goal was given offside on the pitch. That wasn’t a VAR decision. They checked if they could over turn the offside decision.

The problem with the Rashford one was that they drew the lines in completely random places and then ruled it off by mm. It might have been offside anyway, but there's no point checking it if you're going to do it like that.

 

[Rafaeldagold]

VAR is absolutely terrible, & it’s ruining a lot of games for me. Looking at anything to rule out a goal, no matter how pedantic or minuscule. Going against the spirit of the game- I barely celebrate goals anymore as there’s a high chance VAR will get involved.

And to top it all off they give wrong decisions too! It was never handball for their penalty In a million years.

I’m done with this overused garbage system in our game and I hope it gets binned as soon as possible

 

[Nick7]

The problem with the Rashford one was that they drew the lines in completely random places and then ruled it off by mm. It might have been offside anyway, but there's no point checking it if you're going to do it like that.

They didn’t rule it off. They just didn’t over turn it. The lines corresponded to the foot and shoulder of the defender.

he was given off on the pitch and it wasn’t clear that he was onside so they didn’t overrule it. That was actually one of the few times VAR did what people were asking for.

 

[gormless]

It’s not VAR’s fault that it’s enabling the law to be enforced correctly. It’s potentially the laws fault. The whole half an inch offside thing is ridiculous. I remember over a decade ago there was a directive of “daylight between striker and defender” for offside. Would make more sense

 

[NinjaFletch]

They didn’t rule it off. They just didn’t over turn it. The lines corresponded to the foot and shoulder of the defender.

Nah have a look at it again if you can. There's points of both Rashford and their defender that are closer to goal than the line they drew.

As I say, it might still have been offside anyway, but if you're making decisions with that level of granularity you need better than someone as incompetent as Lee Mason playing with am etch-a-sketch.

 

[onetwo3oclock4oclockrock]

I think they should have a time limit, lets say 10 sec, to decide. If they can't decide in 10 seconds, the refs decision stands. That would be enough time to spot the clear and obvious errors, but not enough time to do the stupid ruler hairline nitpicking. And it wouldn't break up the game, and steal attention, but would make VAR almost invisible.

The way it is used now, lowers my enjoyment of the game.

 

[Nick7]

Nah have a look at it again if you can. There's points of both Rashford and their defender that are closer to goal than the line they drew.

As I say, it might still have been offside anyway, but if you're making decisions with that level of granularity you need better than someone as incompetent as Lee Mason playing with am etch-a-sketch.

Completely agree with your second paragraph.

 

[ClaytonBlackmoorLeftPeg]

It’s not always VARs fault per se.

it’s more of a question of should we be ruling out goals if they are a mm offside?

 

[Bobski]

It makes the game less fun.

 

[Ed9]

It improves the justice in the game inconsistently, yet it takes away the most important thing in football: celebrating goals.

 

[Charles89]

Not sure how Rashford was offside, I thought attackers get the benefit of the doubt? If anything, Matic was well and truly offside for Bruno's free kick.

It's like as if they had a monkey pressing the buttons in the VAR room. Still so many human errors with VAR, hopefully one day soon AI can replace all this inaccurate line drawings.

 

[SMNRe"d"volution]

VAR for every decision is just wrong. IMO each team should be given 2 VAR appeals/match. Team captain decides if he wants to take VAR against a certain decision by ref. If found correct, the appealing team retains their VAR but if ref is right, team loses one of their VAR appeal. By this I believe it will save time and importance of how/when to use VAR will increase.

 

[Rafaeldagold]

Shows you how subjective football always will be & how Shite VAR always will be when you have the ref in the BT Studio say ‘ yeh that’s not a penalty, it won’t be given’ , to the VAR ref going ‘ yeh that’s a penalty’

It’s such a fcking shite implementation to our game. Anyone who likes it I’m sorry is just wrong as it really adds fck all & takes away so much

 

[Ace of Spades]

Matic's foot was slightly offside, but he was not interfering with the play, so that was the right decision. Lerma should have got a red. It was never a penalty, it hit Baily's shoulder ffs and Rashford was not offside.

What is the point of VAR really. The decision's seem random, and even the checks seem random. If they are not going to overturn any decision, then why waste time looking at it. Either go with the ref, or have the balls to make the right decisions.

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

Even if there was no VAR, the linesman was going for offside for Rashford's goal. Dean was also going to decide for a penalty.

 

[rcoobc]

It’s not VAR’s fault that it’s enabling the law to be enforced correctly. It’s potentially the laws fault. The whole half an inch offside thing is ridiculous. I remember over a decade ago there was a directive of “daylight between striker and defender” for offside. Would make more sense

I have to agree.

I'd say the solution is to make it so that only your feet and head can play you on or offside. The whole back/shoulders making you offside thing is ridiculous.

And then I'd make it so that the WHOLE of the attackers foot needs to be ahead of the whole of the defenders foot/head to be offside (in the same way that the whole of the ball needs to cross the line).

Yes, that would "just move the problem up the field" but I think as fans we kind of intrinsically understand this. If the whole of an attackers foot is ahead of the defender's foot, even by a mm then well, he's offside. Just like if the whole of the ball is over the line, even by a mm, it's a goal.

 

[Fully Fledged]

The last two decisions make no sense. They showed Matic’s foot was offside yet the goal was given. They showed the defenders arm was keeping Rashford onside for his last goal yet it’s called back.

I don't think Matic was interfering there was a player directly in front of him.
The ball hit Bailey's shoulder not his arm and Rashford's goal was on side.

 

[Bobcat]

I vehemently believe they should change the offside rule so that your whole body has to be further forward for it to be offside. All this eyelash length offside nonsense is NOT a clear advantage!

This. I hate these millimeter offside calls

 

[cyberman]

Matic's foot was slightly offside, but he was not interfering with the play, so that was the right decision. Lerma should have got a red. It was never a penalty, it hit Baily's shoulder ffs and Rashford was not offside.

What is the point of VAR really. The decision's seem random, and even the checks seem random. If they are not going to overturn any decision, then why waste time looking at it. Either go with the ref, or have the balls to make the right decisions.

Yeah, Maric was behind the Bournemouth defender. You cant block the view that isnt there.

 

[Fully Fledged]

Even if there was no VAR, the linesman was going for offside for Rashford's goal. Dean was also going to decide for a penalty.

That's fair enough but the system was brought in to correct errors, if it doesn't do that you may as well scrap it.

 

[Ace of Spades]

Yeah, Maric was behind the Bournemouth defender. You cant block the view that isnt there.

Exactly, a perfectly fine goal that was reviewed for ages for no reason at all.

Something needs to be done, cause this is absolutely the wrong way to implement VAR. It is killing the joy of the game. Imagine if there was a full crowd at OT today, would have to constantly be on edge thinking about VAR, checking it for ages while the crowd got restless.

 

[Harry190]

The last two decisions make no sense. They showed Matic’s foot was offside yet the goal was given. They showed the defenders arm was keeping Rashford onside for his last goal yet it’s called back.

Defender's arm is not considered for offside. Never was, never will. You can neither defend nor score with your arm unless you're the keeper. So it is judged on the most protuberant legal part of the body, the chest.

Matic is offside but does not affect the play, so it's a goal.

 

[Rafaeldagold]

Defender's arm is not considered for offside. Never was, never will. You can neither defend nor score with your arm unless you're the keeper. So it is judged on the most protuberant legal part of the body, the chest.

Matic is offside but does not affect the play, so it's a goal.

Can you explain for the ‘handball’ penalty. How one ref in the studio says it isn’t a penalty, yet VAR ref gives a pen?

Could it be that Football will always largely be subjective (same for the free kick offside, a ref could make a case for Matic interfering) & that VAR just is a terrible addition to the game?

 

[cyberman]

Exactly, a perfectly fine goal that was reviewed for ages for no reason at all.

Something needs to be done, cause this is absolutely the wrong way to implement VAR. It is killing the joy of the game. Imagine if there was a full crowd at OT today, would have to constantly be on edge thinking about VAR, checking it for ages while the crowd got restless.

My theory is that refs listen to players when they complain about instances and it slows everything down.
Ill take VAR further, I would leave everything to the match officials who arent allowed to defer to VAR but they step in for offsides etc.