on May 9, 2026, 4:20 pm, in reply to "Completely 100% agree ..” VAR should be used for yes or no answers ”"
1) Offside
2) Ball in or out of play (all lines, including goal line)
That’s it. Nothing else. Everything else is on the scale of subjective. The reviews panel voted 4:1 that we should’ve had the penalty at West Ham; regardless of what I think of the one who voted against, it shows that there is still a subjective argument against it being a penalty. You can have a team of five people making the decision and still not reach a unanimous outcome. If you use it for subjective decisions you’re never going to make an infallible decision.
Objective only. Eliminates bias and re-reffing the game, speeds up decision making.
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Is it a Red card ?
Is it a penalty?
Offside or onside ?
This is what I want. But will readily agree - yep football is not like that.
And the rules don’t help. So the referee can be judged harshly by either opposing team.
But I see decisions like Rohl / Bernardo and am just scratching my head.
Scot
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I know, first hand how hard a job it is, unless you do it you will never understand the concentration, mental and physical effort it takes to be an OK referee, let alone make it to the very top levels.
However, they have so many tools at their disposal, electronic flags, connected audio, VAR etc, they also have a huge team behind them of analysts, coaches, fitness people, nutrition etc as well as on the day working in a team of 4 at the game, three others in Stockley Park and at least one observer.
Part of the problem is the messing about with the laws, the mess they've created with handball is a great example and the over complication of some of the other stuff, grassroots sinbins for dissent was badly over complicated at the beginning for no reason and has only recently been sorted out.
There is also the forensic over analysis of every tiny decision.
90% of football decisions are subjective, as such you've now got 7 different humans all having (potentially) a different perspective and interpretation of that subjective decision - that will always fail and fail often.
To sum up, I have sympathy for refs as I believe its the laws that cause a lot of the problems but I've also seen some absolute shocking performances of referees this season and some howlers where they've tried so hard to make a decision, they've over analysed it and ended up in the wrong place.
VAR has to change, theres no point having one referee make a subjective decision only for another one sat behind a TV make another subjective decision, especially when there is a mixture of experiences, i.e. a referee doing his first premier league game then has Taylor or Oliver on VAR telling them something different - that's a tough ask for the new person to be strong in their own opinions.
VAR should be used for yes or no answers and for a VAR ref to say to the onfield ref, I've seen an incident differently, go to the monitor and have another look, not so they can talk them through why they think the first decision is wrong but so the on field ref can take another look and decided himself, if his first subjective decision that he had to make in a split second from one angle at a hundred miles an hour, still stands or not.
VAR shouldn't be in his ear saying I think this or I think that, all they should be able to do is recommend a review then leave it to the ref.
The whole re-reffing the game has to stop.
Ste Previous Message
In how the game is ref’d.
It’s an incredibly hard job. I give maximum respect to those who take up the whistle.
It must be the most thankless task in the world.
No refs - no game.
But with VAR there is help. Situations can be reviewed. You can’t review everything- the game would never end.
But there has been a clear bias in decisions made. As a consequence, I’ve lost faith in those who ref the game. There appears to be a lack of accountability, fairness and honesty.
You’ll never get everything right - that’s impossible.
But there is a similar repeat of events that’s impacting us and it’s quite frustrating.
Scot
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It’s a penalty all day long, wouldn’t need many looks and I’d definitely give it.
I think Jez was saying he’s unlikely to give that in real time at the level of the game he refs, it would be a lot harder to give with one view, in a single moment from a single angle and not give the benefit of the doubt that it’s accidental.
I’d have still give a corner though, accidental or not!
Ste Previous Message
or just that you wouldn’t have a had a clear enough view?
What would your thoughts have been if you were the VAR referee? Previous Message
when a player shoots and gets cleaned out and the ref doesn't give a pen but will always give a foul outside the area
The other one I just don't get is when a player heads the ball and then another player heads him and they call it an accidental clash of heads
How is it any different to a late challenge - one player has won the ball albeit with his head and the other player has fouled him with a late challenge
Would you have given a penalty for the handball if it happened in a game you were refereeing ?
I wouldn't Previous Message
That Pickford should not have been punished for a penalty or a red for his challenge.
Ste
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