Video-Assistant-Referee was first officially used in 2017 at the Confederations Cup. It's a way for referees to review plays through replays on a small screen on the field or up in a booth. Since then, it has been an integral decision-making engine in many of the world’s leagues. But what was the goal of instituting VAR? And did it achieve its goal?
It’s no secret that soccer (football according to the rest of the world) has a diving problem. It has become a meme of the sport. There was the Italian diving practice spoof video a few years 16 years back (damn, I'm getting old) that really reignited the debate. But is it as bad as it seems?
The short answer, I argue, is yes. Basketball has what they call a ‘flopping’ problem. This should be addressed. Hockey players will dive from time to time, but it’s not a widespread issue, and is generally frowned upon by the league. They even hand out fines for divers. As for baseball and ‘American football’, there isn’t much of an opportunity to dive; baseball lacks contact and football has almost limitless contact.
But soccer players seem to take advantage of referee sight-lines and slow pace more than most sports. It’s been a hot-button, divisive issue for a few years now. This isn’t the first article about diving in soccer. But it is still, generally, an acceptable strategy. Some players will berate an opposing player, or even pick them up off the ground (seen below at 5:10), and then produce a broadway-quality tumble and face of anguish on the next play. And with no fines handed out, the league seems fine with it too.
But VAR doesn’t seem to have its eyes set on divers. Rather, VAR has been targeting trips and tackles that were missed by the referee, instead of tackles that were invented by the fallen actors. In addition, VAR has been especially stiff on offside calls. It begs the question: Has it been successful in this avenue of use?
Hands down, VAR has helped referees make the right calls, especially when it comes to penalties, close range free kicks, and major fouls (worthy of a red card). When the game is on the line, with all the cameras pointed at the player with the ball, it has helped referees to have an extra set of slo-mo ‘eyes’ to help them make the call. Obviously.
In another way, though, VAR has become ultra-fine when it comes to offsides. Take the play above for example. He is centimetres offside. Is this really the best use of VAR? I’ll agree that this is the right call, but maybe this isn’t the best use of the technology. Maybe Europe’s top leagues should introduce a coach’s challenge similar to North American sports leagues to cut out some of these razor-sharp edges. Something along the lines of 1 offside challenge per team per game, and if the call is overturned, they get another challenge. This seems reasonable.
VAR could then focus its cameras on the Oscar-winners of the past few decades. If a player is caught diving under normal play, they are usually given a yellow card. Again, I don’t think it’s necessary to stop the game every time, but a good middle ground of catching the egregious and game changing dives, especially ones inside the 18-yard box, should be a priority.
Furthermore, if we argue that the line is too fine (similar to offsides), then possibly a post game recap of dives by VAR is the solution. This has been implemented before, but without much use. Studies have shown that in leagues where divers are penalized more frequently, less diving occurs. Fine or card players that make game changing dives, or fine all divers. The bottom line is that diving is cheating, and should be treated as such. It’s gotten to the point where diving has too much of an impact on outcomes and players are getting away with it too easily; tarnishing the reputation of the world’s most popular sport. It’s not turning all fans away, but it’s certainly turning some fans away.
Another solution, once the major leagues take a stronger stance on diving, is to adjust the rules to account for grey areas. For example, if a player can easily avoid a tackle, they should make an effort to avoid it (some players do this already). This could eliminate some of the ambiguity associated with diving. If the tackle is unavoidable, or some effort is made to avoid it, then make the call. And if they at least make an effort to avoid a tackle, then they can hold their head up high knowing they’re an honourable player who follows the rules and tries their best not to cheat. Lionel Messi is a great example of a top-level player who operates in this way.
Intent can also play a role here. If someone fell but didn’t intend to dive, they can get up and tell the referee that there shouldn’t be a foul. This isn’t groundbreaking; it’s happened before. If this became the norm, the game wouldn’t suffer from as many complaints.
These ideas seem reasonable and relatively easy to implement. So why isn’t it happening? Maybe the ambiguity and subjective nature of fouls is too complicated. But I think it boils down to the fact that soccer players, fans, coaches, and executives don’t see diving as a major problem. They may complain about it from time to time, but when their player “earns” a penalty in an important match by throwing themselves to the ground, it benefits them. The benefits of diving seem to outweigh the costs.
But is it worth it? I think it’s about time the top leagues take a stronger stance on diving. Use VAR to take the honour of being a professional back. Teach youngsters that diving is not an acceptable strategy and that if they want to win, they will do it the right way. And watch the game take a step in the right direction across the world.
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