Few things have been called into question more often in the Bundesliga in recent weeks than the VAR (Video Assistant Referee).
But what guidelines does the VAR have? When should/must the video assistant referee intervene and what is he allowed to decide? This is regulated in the IFAB’s VAR protocol.
The VAR may only intervene if there is a CLEAR and UNIQUE ERROR DECISION by the referee. In plain language, this means that the VAR is not there to improve the referee’s decisions, but only to correct clear mistakes. Betting on VAR occurrences is therefore a quite difficult thing.
So if a referee’s decision is within the scope of interpretation of the rule book, the VAR does not intervene.
An example: A striker runs into the penalty area. The defender runs towards him and hits the striker lightly on the bottom of the foot. The striker is knocked off his feet and goes down. The referee decides to award a penalty kick.
The VAR now reviews this situation (penalty kick) by default and asks the referee over the radio which offense he has penalized. The VAR determines that there has been contacted in the penalty area and the referee on the field has recognized and penalised this. Even if the contact was only slight, the referee has decided in accordance with the Laws of the Game and the VAR does NOT intervene.
In Which Situations May the Var Intervene?
- Goal or no goal – including offside decisions / foul decisions before a goal is scored
- Situations in the penalty area
- Situations with a red card or no red card
- Incorrect player identification
Despite all the rules and regulations, there will continue to be discussions about the decisions made by the referee and the VAR. But that’s a good thing, because what would our football be without emotions!
Technical Requirements
The following technical requirements apply to the use of a VAR at a match:
- The VAR follows the match in the Video Operation Room (VOR) and is supported by one or more assistant video assistant referees (AVAR).
- Depending on the number of camera positions (or other considerations), several AVARs and one or more replay operators (ROs) are deployed.
- Only authorized persons are granted access to the VOR and may communicate with the VAR, AVAR, and RO during the match.
- The VAR has independent access to TV images and can control their replay.
- The VAR is connected to the match officials via a communication system and hears everything they say. The VAR can only talk to the referee by pressing a button. This prevents the referee from being distracted by discussions in the VOR.
If the VAR is in the process of reviewing the video or checking the video of an incident, the AVAR may talk to the referee, especially if the match must be stopped or may not yet be restarted.
If the referee decides to consult the TV images, the VAR chooses the best camera angle and playback speed, although the referee may also request other angles/speeds.
Procedure
Initial decision:
- The referee and the other match officials must always make an initial decision (including any disciplinary measures) as if there were no VAR (exception: overlooked incidents).
- The referee and the other match officials must not refrain from making a decision, as this leads to “weak”, indecisive match management, too many video reviews, and significant problems in the event of a technology failure.
- Only the referee may make the final decision. The VAR has the same status as the other match officials and only assists the referee in an advisory capacity.
- The delayed signaling/whistle-blowing of an offense is only permitted in a very clear attacking situation, i.e. when a player has just scored a goal or is running unhindered towards or into the opponent’s penalty area.
- Suppose an assistant referee waits to signal an offense. In that case, he must raise the flag if the attacking team scores a goal, is awarded a penalty kick, free kick, corner kick, or throw-in, or retains possession of the ball after the initial attack. In all other situations, the assistant referee must decide on a case-by-case basis whether to raise the flag.
Video Review
The VAR automatically reviews the TV images for each decision or incident involving a goal, penalty kick, direct red card, or player substitution, using different camera angles and playback speeds.
The VAR can view the TV images at normal speed and/or in slow motion. In principle, however, slow motion should only be used for objective decisions (e.g. location of the offence, position of the player, location of contact in the case of physical or handball offences. Ball out of play (including goal/no goal)). Normal speed should be used to assess the severity of an offense or a possible handball offense.
