Arsene Wenger has been going on overdrive with recommendations for the improvement of the football experience, getting some critical acclaim. He has suggested that the World Cup is played every two years instead of four, as it is now, which I must say, I find quite appealing. He definitely makes a lot of sense and the economic benefits would be great for the global economy too; particularly after the corona virus is managed.
Likewise, VAR was introduced to make the game better. It hasn't delivered what it promised and everyone is calling for an overhaul. Arsene Wenger has shared his views on it, both as a pundit and as a representative of FIFA in his role to improve the game of football.
The situation with VAR is now very serious as on Thursday 11th March 2021, the English Premier League wrote to clubs, bosses and players to ask for 'improvements'. The goal they say, is to introduce ground-breaking changes for the 2022/23 season.
I hope that they are asking the referees, who have been the ones interpreting the VAR rules, but probably doing so behind closed doors to avoid any more public embarrassment.
However, as a company operating in the sports-entertainment arena, we thought we'd give our own ideas about how the existing VAR system can be improved.
supremeINC VAR REVIEW RECOMMENDATIONS.
The information below represents the view of supremeINC CONSULTANCY.
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1. Give each team at least two challenges to be initiated by the team captain... they can be restricted to one challenge per half. A third VAR challenge can be awarded for extra time in games that exceed 90 minutes.
This approach would solve the problem that Pep Guardiola talked about after the Southampton game in recent days, where he believed that his team should have been awarded a penalty. He acknowledged that the on-field referee can be forgiven for not seeing the infringement, but he was adamant that VAR should have reviewed it!
Adopting the approach of making challenges available to the team captain would be akin to what prevails in present day tennis, where players get a set number of challenges per match. Matches that to into final set tie breakers attract the additional challenges.
What this approach would achieve is not only peace of mind for Pep and other managers, it would also mean that an extra layer of protection is built into the game that could effectively minimize errors and wrong decisions. One goal, such as the one that Aguero scored to give Manchester City their first Premier League title, can make a big difference to a football and the livelihoods of those associated with it.
2. Make the deliberations between VAR and on field referees audible to the 'spectators', just as they do in American Football. Along with wrong decisions and omissions, it is now widely believed that there is a level of coercion going on. The 'silence' between on-field refs and VARs is deafening and breeds contempt for authorities in the game. Only good things can come from making their deliberations audible; and should be a priority to implement for the 2022 season.
3. Finally, let's turn the screws on the referees; primarily the on-field ones, by inisisting that they take part in media work post games. In essence, referees MUST conduct press interviews IMMEDIATELY after the match... just like managers and players already do in FOOTBALL.
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is would help us clarify issues in good time, clearing up any lingering doubts that may exist from decisions made during a game.
The above suggestion is in recognition that even if they implement our recommendations, VAR will still not be perfect in all situations and humans will always be involved and we are fallible.
Therefore, the goal with our viewpoint is not to achieve perfection, but rather, to ensure that the loopholes and faults built into the existing system are eradicated once and for all, and we do see our recommendations in practical use within other high profile elite sports, such as tennis and American football.
One could argue that allowing the team to have opportunities to challenge will take the fun out of the game, but it is clear that the fun has already been drained out; that is, if you are not watching a match as a neutral... in which case, VAR has been the most fun thing introduced to professional football in a very long time. Anticipation offers great excitement and has been captured in many right VAR moments, where a wrong decision has been overturned. The ecstasy those moments bring cannot be overestimated and it also goes a long way towards protecting the overall integrity of the multi-billion pound beautiful game.
The investment that goes into Premier League clubs behooves the authorities to do all they can to get decisions right; and to ideally do so first time round. The income is all generated through the most loyal fanbases, who eventually pay to view games on TV, go to live games, by club merchandise and deal with club partners; so everything should be done to keep them happy. Ending up with the right decisions in a football match is one sure way to keep fans all over the world, happy!
We're keen to hear what you have to say about our recommendations, so don't hesitate to leave your comments.
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