The controversy surrounding VAR at the World Cup

The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) has garnered considerable criticism at the World Cup due to several controversial decisions. In Poland’s match against Argentina, a save by Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny that involved a brush with Messi resulted in Argentina being awarded a penalty, which has been widely contested.

Similarly, Portugal was awarded an unlikely penalty at the injury time against Uruguay due to an apparent handball. Furthermore, several faulty offside calls by the semi-automated VAR have also been criticized. This has collectively called into question the utility of VAR, as offside decisions can be made objectively, anyway, and the decisions regarding fouls and handballs have been riddled with doubt. Given, that human error seems to be a part of VAR and non-VAR refereeing, it now seems that the adoption of VAR by big leagues is independent of its level of error.

It is also uncertain as to who the beneficiaries of VAR are, other than those who seek to benefit from the specific decision, as it requires referees to reconsider their analysis, while making players wary of their defensive skills, and often leaving fans in the dark behind the rationale of certain decisions.

Supporters of VAR have claimed that it reduces error, though recent instances have shown how it can also increase, rather than reduce it. Furthermore, certain scenarios in football look more contact-heavy when slowed down.