Absolutely agree with all of this, especially using VAR to check if the keeper is off the line, it was never stated as being part of VAR. And the ones the VAR has picked up the goalkeeper has moved only a fraction of a second before the ball is hit. VAR is fucking ridiculous, it is destroying the game. FUCK!!!

Five minutes to reach a VAR decision in the Chile-Ecuador game!!

It is killing the game. Please...get rid of it.

Haven’t seen this one yet but it’s use in two penalty decisions and subsequent impact and influence on the Uruguay v Japan match was an absolute joke.  Was totally unnecessary and really stole the headlines on what was an otherwise great match.

There was no need for it too get involved in EITHER incident and when it did... it got BOTH wrong!

So what was developed to assist referees from making howlers...it simply makes the howlers itself...ALL with the benefit of having a replay! Ridiculous is an understatement.

Just watched highlights of Chile v Colombia and Uraguay v Peru. Three legit goals ruled out by VAR in the two matches, possibly a fourth depending on your ‘interpretation’.  VAR has been an absolute disgrace in the Copa America....and the Women’s World Cup by all reports. So sad to to see this great once simple game of ours be ruined by this tech and idiot VAR refs.

My fear with the VAR is it is a bit like OH &S in the workplace.
It had some legitimate and useful purposes when it was originally mooted but once in place it got bigger and bigger and became an industry in itself .
Once unleashed, it felt it had to keep growing, until now it has taken on far more responsibility than was ever envisaged....to the point it now often hampers what it was meant to protect.
...and like the OH&S industry...the VAR may now be too big to kill off .

It's never going anywhere. This is FIFA we are talking about here.

Best response in this thread - whilst FIFA can sell ad space during the VAR reviews, it's not going anywhere.

Yup. The best we can hope for is quick, limited and consistent application.

The VAR stopped working during a Saudi league match because one of the stadium workers unplugged it to charge his phone.

LMAO 

1st world problems? 

If it means refs can actually be responsible for their own decisions instead of being cowardly softcocks then I'm all for that.  

Wouldn't call Saudi Arabia first world personally.

That's fooly racialist bro. :w00t:

Penalty retake here because GK left the line early.  Don't mention the encroachment though.



https://www.foxsports.com.au/football/a-league/aleague-news-var-penalty-video-watch-dimi-petratos-mark-birighitti-central-coast-mariners-vs-newcastle-jets/news-story/20da20f1ac68e2c0015a7e916ef8f26d

Good point

Would've been retaken either way though, right?

That was the retake.

There's a hierarchy of rules which get punished in order which I full well understand.  My point is if they're going to get pedantic then why pick and choose what to be pedantic about.

Referees rarely punish encroachment unless an advantage is subsequently gained. 

In this case both mariners and jets encroached and it had no material effect on the result of the penalty - so the referee is applying the spirit of the law and not the letter of the law. That’s a good thing imo. 

The keeper coming off the line is a clear breach of the rules and had a material effect on the outcome of the penalty, so that needed to be corrected. 

The players encroaching were in clear breach of the rules but neither affected the outcome of the penalty nor gained an advantage, so that didn’t need to be corrected. 

Thats about as simple as an explanation gets. 

Totally agree there . Unless encroachment gives either team an advantage it should be ignored . The goalkeepr moving early quite clearly gives him an advantage. I completely agree with the VAR in this instance . In fact so far this season I think it has been used well and been correct in all instances . The only issue is how long it took in a few instances . I think they are getting a better handle on it though.
On another issue , how good is the Iranian ref Faghani ? Lets the game flow so well !

Except - it was not included in VAR originally, it is not included in the VAR elsewhere such as the EPL. The FFA included it this year and said the VAR would not be pedantic about it unless it was blatant. Birighitti came off his line by less than 6 inches (back foot) half a second before the ball was hit while Petratos varied his speed as he came in. To my mind while technically a clear breach that is not blatant it is a minimal timing issue.

Basically the AR has one job in this instance why the hell do you involve VAR.

I expect this will be the only time this is called all season as the FFA will make it clear that the referees are not to be pedantic.

Look I understand all of that my point is how pedantic they're being.  Had that goal been scored in the first instance no way would the VAR have come back and said 'sorry that's encroachment therefore a retake' even though it's clearly in the rules.  And it is in the rules.

Like you said it has no bearing on the outcome but if they're adjudging offisides in the millimetres then let's go f'cking mental about all these things.

Of course that's not what I want to see but the football is starting to suffer from VAR mission creep.  This was never the intent initially.  How long until they're looking at where that quick throw was taken which led to the goal being scored and pulling that back?  It'll only take one high profile team to suffer a loss because of it before they're looking at that as well. 

These are my concerns.  

This is not a question of the VAR though, even though the linesman used it instead of calling it himself (which he should have done). 

The reason this was pulled up and the penalty retaken was because the rules were changed this winter. With or without VAR that penalty gets retaken. 

The “advancing off the line” ploy by keepers has been perfected over recent years such that thry changed the rules (the old rules should have dealt with it but didn’t due to some ambiguity) so the law was clarified and simplified and it reads (words to the effect) one foot must remain on or over the line up until the Ball was struck. 

Theres no allowance for being 6 inches off you’d line, or even one inch. Keepers must stay on their line now - if they don’t and they save it then  it’s a retake. 

The mariners keeper new the rules 

I agree with you on VAR.  An unintended consequence of VAR is that some people expect it to be used all the time to save them but hate it when it’s used against them. It’s a total lose-lose. 

yeah good points ....I guess it is a case of see where it goes . Any new thing like technology will take a little bedding in and mistakes will be made ..and will be corrected eventually.

Was a shit pen hit more or less in the middle third and had no bearing on the outcome but rules are rules.  Who then judges what's was 'materially effected' and what wasn't?

The point is the ref is standing right bloody there.  (Not to mention the AR.)  If, by his eyes, there was movement off the line, then he is right on the spot to call a goal or a retake.  I mean what is his actually role when he's standing there during the penalty kick?  He may as well pull out his camp chair and park himself behind the byline while the whole thing is adjudicated by the bloke in the VAR room.

They could actually do away with linesmen right now if they wanted to.  What's the point of them?  They're shitscared to make a call for offside, hawkeye could sort ins or outs, they barely flag anything lest they fuck it up and VAR is there as a backup in case they do.

FIFA has fucked the game i loved.
 .

As I said basically the AR has one job in this instance so why is the VAR used. The Mariners will be the first and last to be pinged by the VAR all season as the FFA will make it clear that the VAR referees that they are not to be pedantic and the AR will be schooled in doing THEIR job.. 

As I said earlier, this shouldn’t have gone to VAR. The linesman should have called it immediately 

Don't forget it used to be 2 feet on the line and rooted to the spot, then it was 2 feet on the line and you could move along it, then they changed it again to only 1 foot on the line. 

The rule was fine before they got involved.  Both feet on the line, you can move along it if you want.  Mind you I don't care how they've changed it to one foot now.

The rule that shits me in pens is that you can feint or baulk(sp?) in the run up.  I wish they'd take that out.  To me that's borderline cheating.  Penalties are heavily, heavily weighted in favour of the taker so why give them yet another advantage?  The runup should be in one continuous motion.  Slow, fast, 1 step whatever.