The International Football Association Board (Ifab) has issued a stark warning that VAR could take a decade to fully understand, after a controversial start to its use in the Premier League.
Manchester City were left fuming on Saturday after Gabriel Jesus’ late winner against Tottenham was chalked off, following a video review for a handball from Aymeric Laporte.
A week earlier, Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo accused the technology of ‘ruining the spirit of the game’ after his team and fans saw their celebrations cut short when their goal was disallowed against Leicester.
The Premier League has a new law for 2019-20, whereby ‘a goal scored directly from the hand/arm (even if accidental), and a player creating a goalscoring opportunity after having gained control of the ball using hand/arm (even if accidental), will no longer be allowed’.
VAR was introduced in Serie A and the Bundesliga two years ago and in La Liga last season, but it is new to the Premier League as of 2019-20 and has already come in for criticism.
Lukas Brud, secretary of Ifab, has warned fans to expect plenty more controversy before the issues are ironed out.
‘The Premier League was observing the development of VAR for a long time because it’s one of – if not the – most important league competition in the world and the most viewed competition in the world,’ he told VAR from Perfect.
‘They didn’t want to be part of the experimental phase and wanted to avoid being a guinea pig.
‘They have taken their time to use it and wanted to see how it works.
‘The VAR concept is still at the beginning. We talked to other sports and everyone told us this is a 10-year project until people really understand how it works.’
Although VAR is still going through a teething process at the top level of English football, Brud insists that the match officials are fully behind the introduction of the technology.
‘Referees report back to us that this is something they have always wanted, for various reasons,’ he said.
‘Every single referee has said to us, “For us, it’s great. We don’t have to be afraid of killing our careers.”
‘They will have someone to fall back on and they love it.’