5 predictions for the 2018 World Cup

#5 This World Cup will define VAR’s future in football

VAR will be in focus at the World Cup

This one could go either way. It is the first time that the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) will be used at a major world tournament and will finally be properly introduced to fans all around the world. This World Cup could either re-affirm the need for the VAR and make it a staple in leagues around the world, or it could end being a massive put-off for fans around the world and ultimately scupper it’s future in the game. There is a strong case to be made for either.

There is no doubt that there is a definite need for VAR in the game. Missed offside calls leading to goals, dubious penalty decisions, wrongful sending offs all have a massive effect on the game and the frequency of such incidents seems to have risen in the modern game. Imagine a scenario where the World Cup final swings based on one wrong decision by the referee. No country or referee should have to undergo that. We love to criticize referees for mistakes they made, but its time they are given the help they deserve to make critical calls.

However, it is a far from perfect system. Firstly, the fans in the stadium are left clueless about what is going on, and decisions are not explained to them. Secondly, though the rules state that the on-field decision of the referee will not be over-turned unless there is a clear mistake, there is a difference in how every referee interprets a clear mistake, which could affect decisions.

Communication problems could also arise amongst referees of different nationalities, and there could be a general difficulty that referees face in using VAR owing to their inexperience when it comes to using such a system.

It will be mighty interesting to see how the system fares in the World Cup because this could be something that proves to be a major flashpoint in the history of the sport.