VAR (Video Assistant Referee) was brought into football as an aid for Referees in order to minimize human errors and inconsistencies just as the Goal Line Technology was introduced into the round leather game.
Despite the many positives that the use of VAR tend to offer, there have being a lot of inconsistencies with the use in the EPL to be precise.
Photo: Goal checking in progress
The use of the VAR in the Premier League have left fans and EPL enthusiast frustrated by the calls made and those not made.
Recently, the Premier told BBC Match of the Day as reported on BBC sport website, that incorrect penalty decisions were made by the VAR in Match day 34 games, precisely those played on Thursday.
Photo: Penalty incidence involving Bruno Fernandes and Konsa
One of such wrong decision that was made was the one involving Bruno Fernandes and Konsa during the Clash between Manchester United and Aston Villa at the Villa Park.
The Referee wrongly awarded a foul in favour of Bruno Fernandes who was seen stamping Konsa just inside the Penalty area. Subsequent replays showed that Konsa wasn’t diving into any sort of challenge on Fernandes.
Surprisingly, the penalty stood after the VAR was used to review the situation. Dean Smith and his coaching crew were left frustrated on the sidelines by the bizarre call.
Another situation was the one involving Tottenham Hotspur against Sheffield United, the North London outfit eventually lost the game by a 3-1 scoreline leaving Mourinho frustrated by the calls made by the VAR in that encounter.
VAR is supposed to make football easy but in the EPL at the moment, it’s making the game even more frustrating to watch by fans with the inconsistencies that it adds to the game.
The VAR is good addition to football as we have seen it used in the Italian League and La Liga but it’s those behind the Review that needs to do better job.