Another weekend, another VAR controversy — and once again the PGMOL has admitted an error, this time in the match between Fulham and Chelsea.
The incident came in the first half when Fulham youngster Joshua King thought he had scored his first goal for the club after just 22 minutes. His celebrations were short-lived, however, as VAR ruled there had been a foul on Chelsea’s Trevor Chalobah by Fulham forward Muniz. The decision was announced to the crowd as a “careless challenge.”
The call has sparked further criticism from both players and fans, with several Fulham players voicing their frustration at the standard of officiating in the Premier League. Antonee Robinson summed up the mood when he said:
“If they can check something for five minutes and still get it wrong, then what’s actually the point?”
Head of PGMOL Howard Webb later contacted Fulham to admit the decision was incorrect — but that was little comfort to manager Marco Silva. Speaking to TNT after the game, Silva described the disallowed goal as “unbelievable.” As a consequence of the mistake, VAR official Michael Salisbury was dropped from duty for Liverpool’s match against Arsenal the following day.
VAR is supposed to improve decision-making, but its effectiveness is only as strong as the officials operating it. The quality of refereeing has been questioned more than ever this season. Already, several controversial moments have piled up — such as Ebere Eze’s free-kick for Crystal Palace against Chelsea on the opening day, which was ruled out after teammate Marc Guehi was judged to have fouled.
By Gameweek 3, VAR was once again the centre of debate. Many fans argue the system is draining the passion from the sport, leaving players hesitant to celebrate for fear of a goal being overturned. Burnley manager Scott Parker put it bluntly:
“We are at risk of football becoming the most sterile game there is.”
So, what can be done to fix VAR?
Originally, the system was brought in to help referees with key moments that might otherwise be missed — fouls in the box, handballs, penalties, and tight offsides. But rather than slowing the game down with endless checks, VAR should perhaps be limited to those critical calls. That would allow referees to get on with managing the match while using VAR as a safety net, not a crutch.
Another possible solution could be to introduce a challenge system similar to tennis. Captains, for instance, could request a review of a VAR decision and even accompany the referee to the monitor for a joint assessment. This would add a fresh layer of transparency and reduce the sense that decisions are made behind closed doors.
What do you think about VAR? Is the technology itself the problem, or is it a question of trust in the people using it?
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Image sourced from footy.com on Flickr.
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