VAR – Various Actions Required …. Just Human Error
I’ve been busy writing the second CJ Gray Mystery; It Wasn’t Me!, so I haven’t had much time for Blogging. But I couldn’t let the latest VAR controversy go by, without expressing my opinion.
It’s nearly 12 months since I wrote on the issue of VAR, and one of my comments then was:-
Offside decisions should in my opinion, be reviewed quickly at normal speed to assess if the decision is clearly incorrect, not that a hand, elbow or even arm or a big toe is beyond the last defender.
Just a quick second chance to review, is all that is required. There were no second chances in my day.
I somehow doubt JK feels the same way, or the Scouser’s who will feel hard done by with the latest VAR decision. However I am sure the rest of the Premier League supporters and PG or MA are laughing up their sleeves, well at least until the boots on the other foot, and they are at the wrong end of what should be a straight forward decision.
When I watched the action at normal speed, I thought, like the on-field Assistant Referee that it was offside. No goal. Back in my day, when I was running the line, that would have been it.
Move on. Well until it was reviewed by the pundits, and they would have a go at the officials.
When you make decisions on off-side it is a quick decision taken instantly in the heat of battle.
But in the modern world of VAR, we now have every self-righteous pundit and reporter seeking to make a story out of what was clearly, human error.
Now don’t get me wrong, if you can’t get the off sides right with VAR, then we are possibly all the losers.
But if you asked the pundit for real time opinion, they would have said off side. But pundits don’t have to make decisions quickly, they can take their time, get the right angle, the right camera, the line across the pitch, and then pontificate on the decision.
So what went wrong. I have listened to the PGMOL audio of the incident, it makes for interesting and amusing listening, if you don’t support Liverpool.
Because of the language and words used it is evident that this was purely human error.
A misinterpretation of what was seen and asked for. The technical bods did their bit, they got the right camera, put the line in place and there you go, job done. The VAR official saw it, listened to the responses, acknowledged the decision, and said re-start play. But they re-started with an indirect Free Kick for off side, not a kick off following a goal. ‘Oh F***’ . HUMAN ERROR
I’m pleased our fighter pilots are better prepared when flying close to the Russian border, or if they relied on the type of discussion adopted by VAR officials, we would soon end up with an escalated conflict of catastrophic proportions.
So what will happen, I guess the officials will be asked to adopt clear and precise words.
Was it offside; Yes or No
Was it a Goal: Yes or No
How do we re-start: Indirect Free Kick or Kick Off.
Are we all clear…. Goal, Re-start with a Kick Off
Agreed: Goal, Re-start with a Kick Off
If they had adopted this quick 10 second check, rather than the amateurish, chummy, all right mate thanks, good job dialect, of the VAR Team, then the official that made the incorrect call, wouldn’t be feeling pretty terrible for getting it wrong, and similar errors shouldn’t occur again.
But don’t hold your breath.
Let’s see what GL has to say on MOTD, and to be honest, even if the goal had stood, Liverpool might still have come away with nothing, other than indignation at not taking the opportunity to go top of the table.
