https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66978938 Liverpool to 'explore all options' following VAR decision not to intervene with on field decision. Who knows what this means, but they will not let it go. At least they got an apology.
I've just watched Klopp's interview with BBC about this: Tottenham 2-1 Liverpool: 'VAR error undermined sporting integrity' - Reds - BBC Sport He's not my favourite manager, but to be fair he doesn't hang the officials out to dry here. He makes some pretty reasonable points. I don't think there really are any more 'options' for Liverpool to explore, but they were absolutely screwed over by the VAR decisions yesterday, and I think there's a growing consensus in football that all VAR has done is replace one subjective assessment with many subjective assessments. The original aim of preventing "clear and obvious errors" has long since gone. Personally I'd suggest following the cricket model. 3 appeals per side per match. If you think the on field decision might be contested, refer it to the VAR. If you're right keep the appeal, if you're wrong you lose it. That forces the players to think about how valid their appeal is, and restricts appeals to questions of fact rather than opinion. And last up, they need to re-iterate the laws regarding playing the ball. How the hell are players getting sent off for challenges where they win the ball?!
The decision not to award the goal for Liverpool was a pure farce. Offside is meant to be the one offence that VAR can't get wrong as it is objective not subjective, pure black and white. It seems it was a comms misunderstanding but I don't understand how that can be - the VAR ref knows it wasn't given as a goal and can see that it should have been - where do comms come into that? He speaks to the ref and tells him its a goal. End of. It was an unforgivable mistake - what if Liverpool end up missing out on the title by 1 point? As for VAR generally, it seems to me that the finer detail of so many of the laws of the game have been messed around with so much that no-one knows where they stand any more. VAR being in play or not doesn't change that but it's not helping in its current format. Either we go the cricket way with 3 appeals, or they go with the system that the VAR officials can and must intervene on any decision they see is wrong, because the current system whereby everyone can see that the decision is wrong but VAR can't intervene makes a mockery of it. But they won't do that because it effectively means the VAR refs are reffing the game by proxy. So it has to be the appeals system for me.
I just don’t understand why it works so well at international tournaments & in the champions league yet there seems to be apologies every week in the premier league. It doesn’t add up.
I don’t understand how having a Cricket/Tennis system works, they will still get calls wrong which is the issue and I strongly believe it should ultimately be the man on the pitch who makes the call. I think Rugby is a much better comparison for Football, the Ref has total control and seem to get the calls right nearly if not all the time with the aid of replays, Football needs to look into why is that and replicate, starting with microphones so everyone can hear the call and why.
The A in VAR stands for assistant but it seems to me that the VAR officials have pretty much taken control of PL games rather than helping the on field ref. When was the last time a ref went over to the screen to review a decision and then stood by their original decision? Currently they might as well automatically reverse the decisions and save the time lost in going over to the monitor because you know as soon as that happens the original decision will be reversed. To that end the on field ref (Simon Hooper) was equally culpable for not querying what the hell was going on when he reviewed the video evidence.
Too many fingers in the pie. Get rid of the VAR team. Let a couple of tech guys look after the equipment. Give each side 3 appeals per game, and in each appeal the ref must go and look at the screen, before confirming or changing the original decision. And reverse all the stupid rule changes that have been made since VAR was introduced.
I agree the thing needs to simplified but I’m not sure about the three appeals approach. For one thing it would guarantee that there would be six reviews every game and I don’t think that there is anywhere near that amount at the moment.
Listening to one report yesterday it seems that the offside decision can be made automatic. That's what they use on the continent and the international level as I understand it. The Premier League still has the human element. Apologies if I misheard any of that.
There are still some offside decisions with a human interpretation. Did it come off a defensive player? did that player mean to be playing the ball etc.
You're probably right. A maximum of one appeal per half, maybe. Appeals limited to overturning penalty decisions, goals, and the issuing of red cards.
Don't like Klop but he seemed very philosophical about it on the interview, the one thing VAR should be able to get right is these kinds of decisions, I'm thinking if they can't get this right it should just be scrapped. Ah well, at least its another entry in the scouse book of victimhood.