Tag: VAR

Olympic VAR brought Argentina and Morocco back to play 3 minutes after it overturned a tying goal hours later

That’s a new one.

You can take a CONMEBOL team out of a CONMEBOL competition, but the mayhem will apparently follow them.

Argentina — coming off a chaotic Copa America win with its senior national team — sent a talented under-23 side to the Paris Olympics. And for a moment, it seemed like Argentina had pulled off a late equalizer against Morocco.

After a seemingly never-ending series of deflections off players and the bar, Argentina’s Cristian Medina headed home an apparent tying goal to send the crowd at Saint-Étienne into a frenzy. The scene was so wild that fans stormed the field, which forced the referees to suspend the match.

Both teams went to the dressing rooms and had to be called back to finish the match in an empty stadium after a warmup. And it wasn’t until that point when VAR finally took a look at the goal, which was clearly offside.

So, Argentina basically had all that time thinking it had tied a match at the death only to go back down a goal hours later.

Morocco would hold on in those final three minutes of stoppage time and win, 2-1. And we thought the Copa America was a mess. That ordeal took disorganization to a new level.

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USMNT fans were absolutely livid the refs didn’t call offside on the Uruguay goal that eliminated the team from Copa América 2024

USMNT fans couldn’t believe this no-call for the refs.

The United States men’s national soccer team was eliminated from the 2024 Copa América after its 1-0 loss to Uruguay on Monday night in Kansas City.

Panama taking down Bolivia sealed the deal for the United States, who will exit this year’s tournament with a very difficult loss on home soil to fathom.

While blame will certainly be assessed to the U.S. coaching staff and players for flubbing this opportunity, Uruguay left backer Mathías Olivera’s goal came under lots of scrutiny from USMNT fans.

The score in question gave Uruguay the lone point of the match, but it sure looked like two players, including Olivera, were clearly offside on the replay.

The VAR look at the play didn’t help the United States, as the officials maintained after review that the goal was good and no offside had occurred. How they assessed the VAR angle was a bit strange to say the least.

This image just shows how truly egregious a missed call it was for the officiating crew. It’s just hard to understand the rationale behind the decision.

On a night where some of the game was broadcast with a bad camera view, this Uruguay goal stung even worse for the U.S.

United States fans were absolutely livid about the no-call, one that had a definite impact in sending the team home from this year’s Copa América.

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Fans were blown away that Euro 2024 used a contact sensor in the ball for VAR decisions

The NFL really could use that.

The introduction of VAR (video assistant referee) into club and international soccer has been somewhat of a controversial topic for fans over the years. While it’s great to see an emphasis on getting the calls right, VAR remains an imperfect system that impacts games. But there’s no denying that some of the technology is pretty astounding.

We’re seeing that play out early on at Euro 2024.

On Monday, Belgium lost to Slovakia in the biggest Euro upset ever. And that 1-0 loss came courtesy of two disallowed Belgium goals through VAR. One of those reviews was for a potential handball in the lead-up to Romelu Lukaku’s goal. That goal was wiped off because an in-ball sensor detected contact for that handball.

No matter your thoughts on VAR, that’s an undeniable innovation. Instead of relying on a camera angle, the sensor pinpointed that exact moment of contact. It turned a controversial call into a straightforward decision.

Fans were blown away to see that technology in action.

This was how Twitter/X reacted

The NFL really could use that.

‘Clear and obvious should be clear and obvious’ – Spirit star Sullivan decries long VAR checks

There were in incredible 13 minutes of first-half stoppage time in Sunday’s game

Frustration is mounting across the NWSL early in the season, as some VAR reviews drag on for what seems like an eternity.

Among those who are growing weary is U.S. women’s national team and Washington Spirit midfielder Andi Sullivan, who saw her side’s game against the Utah Royals ground to a halt on multiple occasions.

Three VAR reviews throughout the game slowed the play considerably at Audi Field on Sunday. There were an incredible 13 minutes of stoppage time in the first half, with one of the reviews taking place on a fairly obvious Spirit penalty that Sullivan would eventually convert.

After a game her side won 2-1, Sullivan told reporters that while she’s grateful for the presence of video technology in the NWSL, there needs to be a concerted effort toward eliminating lengthy reviews.

“Obviously we’re glad about VAR being in the league,” the midfielder said. “But I think we need to figure out a way to make it a little more efficient. I especially think clear and obvious should be clear and obvious and it shouldn’t take a long time to decide if something is clear and obvious.

“But obviously I’m not in the booth, I don’t know the demands of that job so I shouldn’t really speak too much on that.”

On her penalty, she added: “It was a very clear penalty. I don’t really feel like that needs to be checked or checked very long. And I felt like it could have been checked by the time I had set up the first time, so I was a little frustrated about that.”

Sullivan said that the frequent stoppages for VAR checks means that teams have to figure out ways to make the breaks work to their advantage.

“We’ve definitely discussed as a team about how to manage those moments, especially when it’s taking a while and then when the ref has to go find the camera,” she said.

“So are there moments where we can come over to the sideline and just regroup? For me I reset because it had just been so long, so I needed to run through the routine again. It’s a new part of the game and we have to recognize it’s going to be a part of it, so we have to figure out different ways and techniques of handling that.”

On Friday night, Chicago Red Stars head coach Lorne Donaldson echoed Sullivan’s point, but did so in slightly more blunt fashion.

“If it takes that long to make a damn decision, then there’s no decision,” Donaldson said.

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NFL-style VAR explanations are coming to the Women’s World Cup

Explanations will be broadcast on television and to in-person fans through the stadium’s loudspeaker

Referees at the 2023 Women’s World Cup will announce VAR decisions to television viewers and fans at stadiums through loudspeakers, FIFA confirmed on Wednesday.

At a press briefing, FIFA said that the new system — which has been used at the Club World Cup in Morocco and the U-20 World Cup in Argentina — will now be used at a tier-one tournament for the first time.

The system is designed to improve transparency around VAR decisions. In February, chairman of FIFA’s referee committee Pierluigi Collina said that the NFL was an inspiration for the new implementation.

“We decided to have this trial because we received some requests to make the decision taken by the referee after a VAR intervention more understandable for all the football stakeholders, namely the spectators at the stadium, or in front of the television,” Collina said.

“I have to say that there are other experiences in other sports, namely the NFL in American football, who have been doing this for quite a long time. It seems that the referees are pretty comfortable with this.”

The on-field referee will wear a microphone and explain VAR decisions after they have been made, with those explanations broadcast on television and to in-person fans through the stadium’s loudspeaker.

It’s expected that referees will only explain the decision itself, rather than the decision-making process behind it.

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NWSL Weekend Take-Off: Thorns imperious, VAR off to a rocky start

Tactics, VAR controversy, and spicy quotes? NWSL’s not wasting any time

The NWSL is back for 2023, and immediately produced a characteristic mix of quality play (we see you, Portland Thorns), strangeness, and controversy.

Pro Soccer Wire will be bringing this look at one aspect from every game to you every Tuesday throughout the season. Great goals? Tactical nuance? Spicy quotes? It might be week one for NWSL teams, but there’s so much to tackle. We saw the return of some banter between old rivals, several glorious goals, a total change in system from one team, and VAR’s debut resulting in a pivotal call.

Without further adieu, let’s dive into the takes:

2022 World Cup: What are the VAR rules?

A quick look at how VARs work.

The World Cup Qatar 2022 regulation guide allows for video assistance referees (VARs) to be used for match-changing decisions or incidents, so fans should expect to see these replay officials interject when most necessary.

In order to know how and when a VAR steps in, it’s necessary to look at The International Football Association Board (IFAB) “Laws of the Game,” which establishes the protocols used by the World Cup and other soccer competitions.

According to the laws, the VAR is a match official with independent access to match footage who can assist the match referee in the event of a clear and obvious error or serious missed incident in relation to:

  • goal/no goals decisions
  • penalty kick/no penalty kick
  • direct red cards (not second yellow card/caution)
  • instances of mistaken identity (a referee cautions or sends off the wrong player)

VAR reviews can only be initiated by a game referee, though the VAR and other match officials can recommend a review to the referee. And a VAR can’t be used before the referee makes a call on the field first.

Everything in regards to the play being reviewed by a VAR will be checked, eliminating the need for coaches or players to request a review. And there is no time limit on a VAR review.

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Tunden al VAR por favorecer al América en la derrota contra Toluca

Toluca se llevó ventaja, pero casi había liquidado la serie de no ser por la mala actuación del cuerpo arbitral

Nuevamente el América se encuentra inmiscuido en una polémica arbitral y es que la derrota de ayer 2-1 ante Toluca en la ida de la semifinal del Apertura 2022 estuvo llena de decisiones contradictorias de los silbantes.

El América no se encontró, dejó de ser en Toluca el equipo efectivo que comandó el campeonato y pese a dominar el control del esférico, no lo hizo con el control del partido que le perteneció a Toluca en una jugada maestra de Nacho Ambriz que le ganó la partida a Fernando Ortiz.

Toluca aprovechó dos errores muy puntuales de la defensiva americanista para irse al frente en el marcador. Primero tras una pésima salida de Guillermo Ochoa que regaló el primer gol del partido y segundo tras un penal inocente de Emilio Lara que cambió por gol Leo Fernández.

Pero el marcador estuvo 3-0 a favor del Toluca de no ser por el VAR que empezó su show arbitral anulando una anotación por supuesto fuera de lugar en una jugada muy apretada donde la toma de televisión está demasiado esquinada para precisar la posición de los jugadores.

Sin embargo el mismo criterio fue utilizado en favor del América en el gol del propio Lara cerca del final cuando las Águilas apretaban a los choriceros en busca del descuento. No fue Emilio Lara el que estaba adelantado sino Henry Martin que fue quien asistió al joven azulcrema.

Por si fuera poco el VAR ni siquiera revisó una patada bastante artera en el rostro de Thiago Volpi que ameritaba al menos una revisión en el monitor pero ni siquiera eso sucedió, cuando hemos visto expulsiones esta misma temporada en jugadas muy similares, o bien hace un año en esta instancia semifinal cuando a Juan Ignacio Dinenno de Pumas lo expulsan por una patada menos agresiva que la del propio Martin.

Toluca se llevó ventaja, pero casi había liquidado la serie de no ser por la mala actuación del cuerpo arbitral que no se atrevió a marcar lo que era justo, le pese a quien le pese.

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Christian Pulisic explains why he’s ‘never been a fan’ of VAR

“I don’t think people realize how much emotions swing in games”

Christian Pulisic is not a fan of VAR.

The U.S. men’s national team and Chelsea star has spoken out against the technology in an excerpt from his upcoming book “Christian Pulisic: My Journey So Far,” which will be available for purchase on October 18.

Pulisic was interviewed shortly after the USMNT lost 2-0 at Canada in a World Cup qualifier in January. CONCACAF introduced VAR ahead of that three-game window after previously not featuring the technology in earlier World Cup qualifiers.

But Pulisic didn’t feel the introduction had much effect. The winger was repeatedly fouled during the match in Hamilton, Ontario, and felt that more should have been done to protect him and his teammates.

Questions from author Daniel Melamud are in italic.

Pulisic on VAR

VAR technology has just been introduced to the World Cup qualifying matches; are you happy about that?

Before I would have said yes for CONCACAF, because I’ve seen some things in CONCACAF that I’ve never seen elsewhere in the way things are handled.

But after this window, specifically in that Canada game, they simply refused to look at certain plays and use it when there were clear and obvious situations when they should. What’s the point if you’re not going to use it? If it’s available and there are obvious foul plays, potential red cards, and they simply don’t use it, I just don’t really understand it.

There were so many heavy challenges and what clearly looked like fouls in that game that weren’t called.

Yeah, I’ve never been a fan of VAR, to be honest, but I thought it could potentially help in these games in CONCACAF, which can be quite physical with a lot of crazy tackles and fouls. But I feel like they didn’t use it to the extent that they could.

And you haven’t been a fan of VAR because it’s disruptive?

Having VAR affects the rhythm of the game. Technology can be really helpful as far as goal-line technology, for example, or making big decisions on whether a card needs changing from a yellow to a red. But at times with VAR, it seems like so many people are unsure about what’s going on, and it can take and change so much emotion in the game.

For example, when you score a goal and then it takes five minutes to get checked, the celebrations are just off; it can be really frustrating to the players. I don’t think people realize how much emotions swing in games and momentum can change in those moments.

You can pre-order “Christian Pulisic: My Journey So Far” right here.

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Chelsea can thank their lucky VAR for their win over West Ham

West Ham’s late equalizer was ruled out in a decision Declan Rice called “an absolute disgrace”

Chelsea beat West Ham 2-1 on Saturday, as the Blues were beneficiaries of a late decision that Hammers manager David Moyes branded as “scandalous.”

Kai Havertz gave Chelsea a late lead with an 88th-minute goal but West Ham appeared to have equalized minutes later when Maxwel Cornet found the back of the net after Édouard Mendy came for the ball and was unable to secure it.

But referee Andy Madley was sent to the monitor by VAR Jarred Gillet and deemed Jarrod Bowen to have fouled Mendy in the build-up.

It was, to say the least, a questionable decision, with Mendy coming out and sliding in front of Bowen, who clipped the goalkeeper with his foot as he went over him.

Moyes and Rice slam decision

Moyes was furious with the call after the game, telling the BBC: “It was a scandalous decision — incredible. The goalkeeper spills it, it comes out of his hands about five yards, actually acts like he’s got a sore shoulder because he couldn’t recover the ball, and the referee gave the goal.

“I don’t know who sent him to VAR, but whoever did should get well looked at, as well as the referee.”

West Ham midfielder Declan Rice added: “I can’t say too much because if I say what I think I’ll get fined, but how can you go over to the monitor and call that a foul? It’s an absolute disgrace.”

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