Rangers v Celtic Betting Tips & Predictions 1 Sept
5 August, 2024
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It’s one of the biggest games of the weekend in European football and it takes…
Go Hard or Go Home with Colin Hendry – VAR
The Use of VAR + Colin’s Top Weekend Tips
What is VAR?
VAR, short for Video Assistant Referee, is a relatively new invention that allows referees to check on decisions with the use of a replay video system. There has long been a call for technology to be used in order to assist referees with important decisions, and it was finally rolled out properly last year in the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
However, the first use of VAR was back in 2017, when England took on Germany in a ‘friendly’ – although competitively, it was first used in the FA Cup in 2018 when Brighton Hove faced Crystal Palace.
VAR really hit the spotlight though in the World Cup, and following on from that, it is now being used in Serie A and the Bundesliga to full effect, as well as the FA Cup in the UK; however, it hasn’t hit the Premier League yet.
VAR is a team of three people working in unison to review decisions that have been made by the referee by watching replays of the incident in question.
The team of three is made up by the Video Assistant Referee himself (a current or former ref) alongside his assistant and replay operator. They can be found in the Video Operating Room – which homes a bank of monitors that offer up different camera views and angles.
Obviously, when it comes to football betting, VAR can have a huge impact – the number of penalties will rise, so will the number of bookings quite possibly – which gives punters even more betting options and strategies. So how exactly can it affect the decisions – and can it affect all key decisions?
VAR Decisions
Is it all refereeing decisions that can be reviewed? Well, there are 4 different decisions that can be reviewed by VAR: goals (and actions/violations in the build-up); penalties; red cards and possible mistaken identity when given a card. The only way a decision by the ref can be overturned is if there is a clear error.
The VAR process can work in a couple of ways. Firstly, the referee can request a review after they have made a decision; secondly, the VAR can recommend a review. If the Video Assistant Referee sees a clear error in judgement by the referee, they can notify the ref.
After the review has been made, the ref has a decision to make: they can overturn the initial decision based on the VAR’s advice; they can review the incident themselves on a touchline monitor; or they can stick with their first decision.
