Bournemouth had a real eye-opener as to how VAR can change the face of a game while playing their pre-season friendly against Girona FC at the weekend. Jack Simpson received two yellow cards for a fairly unspectacular foul on the Girona forward Marc Gual, but after a waiting period of a couple of minutes the fouled was reviewed and Simpson received a red card. It was a good test for AFCB who then had to play with 10 men for the last 15 minutes, but in a Premier League match it will be very hurtful to suffer such an incident and I fear they could become far more regular.
It won't just be an annoyance of the clock being stopped while decisions are under review, it will be goals struck off, players sent off and penalties being awarded. Whether those in the stadium will fully understand what is going on could also be a frustration. The players may have been told to get used VAR being involved in the game but the fans are not going to get used to it straight away. One benefit may be that we see less diving but even that may take some time to filter through to the players when they start getting caught.
Meanwhile, Lys Mousset has completed his move to Sheffield United.
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| A hard lesson for Jack Simpson. |
The problem is that referees are unlikely to be told to go to VAR if they are unsure, the decision will already have been taken out of their hands. Instead of referees being able to use their common sense, the full letter of the law is likely to be used which means VAR is going to be the defining voice on every goal, every foul and any incident when their is a suspicion of an advantage being gained unfairly.
It won't just be an annoyance of the clock being stopped while decisions are under review, it will be goals struck off, players sent off and penalties being awarded. Whether those in the stadium will fully understand what is going on could also be a frustration. The players may have been told to get used VAR being involved in the game but the fans are not going to get used to it straight away. One benefit may be that we see less diving but even that may take some time to filter through to the players when they start getting caught.
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The Premier League hopes that VAR brings clarity to the game and the correct decisions, and while it might bring excitement and suspense the game in a new way it might also rob fans of the game as they know it and have loved it. Times are changing and change can be good, but I sense that it is an area that has not yet found its boundaries and that we may well be talking about VAR more than anything else if it is over used in this 2019/2020 season.
Meanwhile, Lys Mousset has completed his move to Sheffield United.
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