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Should VAR be used in football?
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VAR takes too long

VAR often needs to review a decision from several angles several times to be correct. This takes up a huge amount of time and gets in the way of the actual football to be played.

The Argument

Studies have shown that VAR has significantly slowed down the pace of football because of how long it takes to draw up the video playback and then deliberate on a final decision for the call. The momentum of the game shifts unnecessarily, and the time spent checking the VAR could be a major action point of the game. According to WIRED, "While most VAR calls only take a minute or so on the field, some decisions have taken longer and slowed the pace and rhythm of a fast-moving and momentum-driven sport...A study published last month by researchers at Spain’s University of Vigo found that using VAR slowed down first-half play in Italian and German professional soccer leagues."[1] VAR does not benefit football and the many subtleties in pace and speed the game possesses.

Counter arguments

The speed at which the game is played can be slightly sacrificed for the sake of the accurate call, and the same article cited in the argument says, "players adapted in the second half by committing few fouls."[1] Even the players can adapt to the new rule in order to benefit from the correct call. The positive effects of a new VAR system outweigh the minor inconvenience of a few more minutes added to the game's runtime. It could also allow a few minutes for the players to get some much-needed rest in end-of-game, high pressure situations. VAR should not be dismantled simply because of a few extra minutes.

Proponents

Premises

[P1] Football is a pace-based, subtle game that can completely shift because of disruptions or distractions out of play. [P2] VAR significantly slows down the game and disrupts its flow in ways that could severely affect the outcome of the score. [P3] VAR should not be integrated into football because it slows down and disrupts the game.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P2] The benefits of getting a major call right with VAR vastly outweigh the minor inconvenience of waiting a few extra minutes each game. [Rejecting P3] VAR is important in football, and should not be dismantled.

References

  1. https://wired.com/story/video-review-is-changing-soccer-and-no-one-seems-to-want-it/
This page was last edited on Thursday, 1 Oct 2020 at 07:34 UTC

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