FIFA Confederations Cup 2017: Chile 2-0 Cameroon, 5 Talking Points

2. Video Assistant Refereeing is here to stay, and that’s a good thing

In the previous game, Pepe had a goal ruled out thanks to VAR but in this game, the newest technology in football took centre stage. In the first half, VAR ruled out an Eduardo Vagas goal because the man was an inch or two offside – ruining a wonderfully weird Chilean celebration and making Arturo Vidal (the one who provided the inch-perfect pass to Vargas) absolutely lose his head. In the second half, VAR allowed a wrongly disallowed goal to stand – the beneficiary of the decision? Eduardo Vargas (as one online commenter pointed out – it’s all in his name – VARgas)

Both decisions were spot on; despite Vidal’s wild protestations, Vargas was offside when he ran onto his through ball (however narrowly) while in the second instance while it looked to the naked eye that Alexis Sanchez might have been offside in the build-up to the goal, VAR conclusively proved it wasn’t.

If the worst thing about VAR is that it ruins a perfectly good celebration/ makes players wait a bit before they celebrate (Vargas showcased both these on the two occasions) then it’s a small price to pay to ensure a fair result... there will always be resistance to change (however good), but FIFA and the footballing world should persist with this technology that eases such a heavy burden off the shoulders of the poor referees.