Technology is completely revolutionizing the football world and, most of the time, it is for the better. We now have technology that can improve player performance through data analytics, wearable sensors for athletes, and even the integration of cryptocurrency into the online betting scene. That being said, sometimes technology can go too far and take the soul out of a sport. Is this the case for assistant video referees (VAR’s) when it comes to offside in football, and if so, why?
Why is VAR causing controversy?
VAR has caused intense polarization in the football world. This technology system is supposed to be 100% accurate in detecting offside positions, to the point where a player even a millimetre offside will be caught, something that no human referee could ever notice. In theory, this is making football fairer, and yet, when a machine detects an error that no human could, it has a significant ripple effect, not just on the players themselves, but managers, fans, and, perhaps most significantly, sports bettors.
This is because, a lot of the time, bettors have made wagers on exact players scoring goals at certain times during a game. If a VAR names a goal offside that the sports bettor had money on happening, this can lead to the individual feeling as if their winnings have been suddenly stolen from them. This is just one of the many factors that can influence sports betting results. See the guide for Texas sports betting, as well as some of the other US sports betting hubs, to understand what other factors can contribute to a win or a loss.
Can we even trust the technology?
One of the biggest concerns about using VAR technology to determine if players are offside comes from the very fact that the technology itself is temperamental. VAR can and does make mistakes, and this can then lead to a match being unfair to one side or another, which completely ruins the point of VAR in the first place. There is a precedent for this happening too, in the UK, a match between Sheffield United and Aston Villa that took place in June 2020 saw Villa’s goalkeeper, Orjan Nyland, accidentally carry the ball over the line. It was clear for all fans to see, but the technology that was supposed to notify the referee failed, and a goal was never awarded.
Is the disappointment worth it?
Another reason a lot of players, managers, and fans take issue with VAR comes from the fact that it will state that a goal was offside after it has already been put in the back of the net. This gives everyone rooting for the goal, the team, the fans watching live, and everyone watching at home, time to get excited and celebrate, only for the VAR to reveal that the goal never counted. This regularly causes palpable disappointment for all those invested in the game, and can even affect the continued focus and success of the players involved if a goal they were sure they had made suddenly doesn’t count.
Football is a human game
When we think about whether VAR has gone too far with offside calls, we need to first decide whether there is any need for VAR at all. Despite the fact that this technology was created and implemented to ensure fairness in football games, it seems to be inadvertently doing the opposite. Without VAR, there might be goals that are awarded despite the players being offside, but surely, since we are humans playing and not robots, it should be a human who makes that call. Football isn’t always clean. Sometimes losing teams pick themselves back up and take the win in the second half, sometimes the match moves to penalties, and we are all on the edge of our seats waiting to see what will happen. This is the soul of football, the mistakes and the successes, defeats and victories. Does such a technologically advanced VAR even have a place on the football field? Doesn’t it go against everything that football stands for? Many people seem to think so.
