Football needs uncertainty, said the head of UEFA’s European football organization, while criticizing the way the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology has changed the character of football matches. UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin at the REUTERS/Denis Balibouse press conference.
Aleksander Ceferin said UEFA would propose the IFAB football regulation to make changes in the way the VAR system, formally introduced in 2018, has been implemented, although he does not want to give more details.
The use of the system, where party officials use video representatives to verify the referee’s decisions in the field and report any errors, has been controversial in recent months. Critics say that the system goes beyond its original mandate and that decisions take too much time.
“The game is changing and we are afraid that it is changing too much,” Ceferin told reporters after a meeting of UEFA’s executive committee, adding that the pursuit of perfection of refereeing was useless. Football needs uncertainty because players make mistakes and referees on the ground have to assume their responsibilities, not some people hidden in a van or in a building 500 kilometers from the place, “he said. .
“I can live with the fact that referees are human beings who make mistakes, but now, when technology makes a mistake, it’s a problem,” he said.
Ceferin said that, in principle, he was not against VAR, but said “we have to make it clearer, we have to make it faster, we have to make it less invasive, but it will remain”.
One of the biggest sources of controversy has been about offside decisions where VAR managers use grid lines overlaid on the screen, resulting in target rejection because the toe or armpit ‘a player were out of play
“The line is very thin and is traced by the VAR, so it’s the subjective line of an objective fact that’s a bit strange,” said Ceferin.
Other sources of confusion include the new rule of handball and how far back in a movement VAR officials should go when they check for violations.
“Let’s check for five minutes, do we check for 15 minutes?”, He said. “The referee has never said in the past that we had to make a mistake again seven minutes ago. We still do not know what handball is, who draws the lines, what is the thickness of the lines, there are many questions to come. ”
Nigerians’ VAR Opinion
Some sports players in Nasarawa state observed Thursday that the use of the video assistant referee (VAR) in local football matches in the country would fail for some obvious reasons. The Nigeria News Agency (NAN) reports that the VAR is a Football Association match official who reviews the decisions made by the referee-in-chief, find out more.
The VAR operates using video clips and headphones for communication, and was first used for a big competition in the final of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. NAN reports that Morocco has recently become the first African country to introduce VAR into its competition, while several league competitions have adopted its use since the 2018/2019 season.
The VAR was used in Morocco Saturday in a match between TAS Casablanca and Difaa El Jadida. Eche Amos, Public Relations Officer (PRO), Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Nasarawa State, said he did not see how the use of VAR would be successful in Nigeria. He stated that this was due to the fact that the issue of uninterrupted electricity had to be dealt with adequately first.
- “We still have power problems in Nigeria, which hampers the operation of the VAR because the technology needs uninterrupted power.
- “Again, we do not even have an efficient sound system and electronic dashboards in most stadiums so that the VAR is applied effectively.
- “Jumping to him will make it easier for us and that’s why I honestly believe that, for now, I do not see VAR working in Nigerian leagues,” said Amos.
Richard Ajegena, the media chief of the Nasarawa State Football Association (FA) also expressed concerns about the use of VAR in local leagues in Nigeria.
Ajegena said that the arrangements for the maintenance of the electronic device and the problem of insecurity in the stadium, especially that of violence on match days, must be adequately addressed.
“I do not think that even in the next 10 years, VAR will work in Nigeria’s local leagues with the way we manage football in the country.” But when more referrals are obtained, we can succeed. “However, for now, it will take time for it to work here,” he said.
Nehemiah Gwammna, a sports journalist with the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) in Lafia, said corruption was another problem that would hinder the introduction and use of VAR in Nigeria.
He said the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) needs to work closely with the League Management Society (LMC) and private investors to get a plan on how to present it and keep it in Nigerian league competitions. .
Yusuf Luka, a football fan, also said it was necessary to have sufficient funds, training referees and public lighting before the introduction of VAR in the country.
“This VAR we are talking about is not as cheap as people think. Apart from this, our referees must understand how to work with him and local fans need to be made aware of how VAR works. If we do not deal with all of this, I’m afraid we are wrong because, for now, we can not compare ourselves to Morocco, which has begun to use it”
“Our league is not like theirs and we still have a lot of problems to solve before presenting it (VAR). Otherwise, it will not succeed, “he said.