Above is an example of video assisted refereeing, VAR for short, from yesterday's Barcelona-Real Betis Spanish Supercopa semi-final. After review, it was determined that the Barcelona attacker, Raphinha, was offside. Disallowing the first goal of the game. The first of two VAR decisions that would disallow a goal for Barcelona. It is worth noting, Barcelona did win on penalties, setting up an El Classico in the Supercopa final. This is not an outright grievance of VAR, but instead how VAR is used to determine an offside/onside position and the rules surrounding what is an offside/onside position.
With the addition of VAR to the sport, players are now penalized for having, what amounts to be, exceptional reaction times. According to the International Football Association Board's 2022/2023 governing rulebook, Law 11 states: "A player is in an offside position if:
- any part of the head, body or feet is nearer to the opponents’ goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent
A player is not in an offside position if level with the:
- second-last opponent or the last two opponents"
- *Typically, the last two opponents refers to the last defender and goalkeeper, with some rare exceptions*
It seems like a straightforward distinction on paper. After all, one player is in front of the other, or they're not, right? Onside or offside. However, in live action, the wording of the definitions create confusion and ambiguity. Look at the image at the top of the page again. Both players are level, therefore onside. However, Law 11 also maintains he is offside. How can a player be both offside and onside at the same time?
The reason being, the Law 11 was created in a pre-replay and pre-VAR era, but has not been adapted to reflect the spirit of the modern game. A time when line judges had to determine if an attacking player had gained an unfair advantage by being in an offside position when the ball is played. Where offsides meant an attacking player was a yard or their entire body was ahead of the defender, putting the defence in a clear disadvantage. Law 11 was not meant to distinguish whether or not an attacking players shoulder was half an inch in front of the defender's knee. Or if a Varane's butt kept Lautaro Martinez onside for Lionel Messi's go-ahead goal in a World Cup final. If you need dozens of lines, see below, to prove the location of a players shoulder, that player is level. Thus, onside.
To make matters worse, there have been multiple instances where VAR determines a player is offside and the image shown is a zoomed in photo to make it easier for the spectators to see the ruling clearly. However, in two matches this season, Juventus/Salernitana and Argentina/Saudi Arabia, the image used to ultimately disallow a goal, had cropped out a defender on the outer ends of the pitch. Two exampples of game changing goals being disallowed for....being onside? All because the image used by the VAR team could not see entire pitch. Here is an image of the footage found AFTER the match against Saudi Arabia concluded. A prime example of my argument above. Lautaro Martinez should not have been penalized for having a quicker reaction to the ball being played. And at the World Cup, FIFA's most prestigious competition, a goal disallowed due to incompetence.
Sports like tennis have perfected integrating technological advancements into the sport. A sport like tennis has one black and white rule. The ball is in, or it is out. What was once the responsibility of line judges and chair umpires to locate the point of impact of a small yellow ball traveling over 100 mph by the naked eye, is now handled solely by electronic line judges. With the margins so fine and clear in a sport like tennis, the WTA, wisely took human error out of the game. And the sport has been much better for it. Players and spectators are no longer able to argue about calls. When the ball is called out, it is out. As a fan of the sport, of many sports, it is very refreshing to have little to no ambiguity relating to the outcomes of a point, play, or match.
Contrastly, FIFA's indulgence in assisted refereeing, combined with an unwillingness to adapt the rule book to the spirit of the sport has been a catastrophe. VAR and Law 11 has led to countless controversies. Every week, there are more instances of match defining moments being decided by an antiquated rule with imprecisely utilized technology. A tragic combination that will only continue to lead to more turmoil and an ever growing stain on the beautiful game.
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