Has Video Refereeing Ruined The World Cup? (npr.org)

An anonymous reader shares a report: This is the first time FIFA, soccer's governing body, has allowed video replay to be used to make penalty calls in a World Cup. And while fans of basketball and American football are used to the referees stopping the game to consult video footage, soccer purists say it's ruining everything. The major complaint is that it's making the matches much longer than the typical 90-minute games. Martin Rogers, a sports columnist for USA Today, says Video Assistant Referee (or VAR) is "slow, clunky and unpredictable." Over the phone from Russia, where he's reporting on the World Cup, he jokes, "I remember back in the day, when if a game kicked off at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, you'd be all wrapped up by 4:45."

Rogers says this type of technology works well for American football and basketball. "When you look at the calls that are used for replay, in basketball for example, it's normally factual. It's based on, 'Did a player get a shot off before the clock expired?' It's easy. You know. It's black and white." But soccer, Rogers says, is different. He's referring to one of the most hated and beloved qualities of the game: the endless drama. It's a thespian sport.

Comments

Nah, 'diving' did that a long time ago.

[RyanFenton]

If a player is writing on the ground in pain, then for their own safety, they should not be allowed to return to the game at all.

Whether they can get up afterwards and say they can play immediately afterwards is not an issue - no players should be allowed to play with the possibility of an injury, imagined or otherwise.

Ryan Fenton

Re:Nah, 'diving' did that a long time ago.

[roc97007]

^^^^ That one rule change would eliminate the great majority of the drama. I might even start watching games again.

Re:Nah, 'diving' did that a long time ago.

[Nidi62]

If a player is writing on the ground in pain, then for their own safety, they should not be allowed to return to the game at all.

Whether they can get up afterwards and say they can play immediately afterwards is not an issue - no players should be allowed to play with the possibility of an injury, imagined or otherwise.

Ryan Fenton

Treat it the same way that American football treats concussions. The player should be removed from play and undergo and pass a series of tests and evaluations from an independent physician before they are allowed to return to the field.

Re: Nah, 'diving' did that a long time ago.

[Oswald McWeany]

What soccer needs are post game flop analysis and actual punishments if it's deemed you flopped

Exactly this. A dive should be treated as a red card offense- and it should be allowed to be awarded after the game too- so the player is banned from the next fixture. 3 dives in a season and you are banned for one calendar year.

Re: Nah, 'diving' did that a long time ago.

[Oswald McWeany]

Come on, that blatantly fake injury stuff is entertaining to watch. I feel it adds to the sport.

If you like that, might I suggest WWE?

Re:Nah, 'diving' did that a long time ago.

[Obfuscant]

I've also not figured out YET...how they time the damned things.

The referee times the match. The displayed clock is not the official timing.

The referee has the ability, and the responsibility, to add time when players are using up time just to use up time, or when there is a significant stoppage of play. E.g., during a substitution the departing player dawdles getting off the field. If the goalie dawdles in executing a goal kick. If a fight breaks out that stops play. If a player has an injury that requires transport off the pitch. One instance during a recent cup match was when one team was awarded a free kick and a member of the opposing team carried the ball away from the free kick location. (Many of these time-wasting tactics merit and get yellow cards.)

It's called "stoppage time" because it is intended to make up for deliberate stoppage of play.

Those delays can, and often do, occur during the stoppage time already added. If a team is ahead by a goal, they are going to try slowing things down as much as they can.

It just seemed arbitrary.

Many calls by a referee can seem arbitrary. What exactly merits an red card? How about a yellow? Penalty kick? It's all judgement calls, unless it is a truly egregious violation. Even "hand ball" is sometimes arbitrary. Referee judgement, was the arm or hand in a normal position and not a deliberate action?

Shouldn't time mean TIME..and when it runs out, it is over?

It does. It's just that you're looking at an unofficial clock, which means unofficial. The official clock is on the wrist of the on-field official.

IN case of ties....why not a sudden death thing in soccer like with US Football?

Because it's a different game. It doesn't operate under the same assumption that there must always be a winner of every match. In fact, the overall "winners" are determined by the overall performance during the season. The exception is the last rounds of the world cup where it is a head-to-head competition and the winner is based on the result of one match.

Note that even US football has issues with time, but they are hidden because there is an official clock displayed on the scoreboard. The refs can and do add time to the clock, and the clock STOPS. What really really annoys me about US football is that the last "two minutes" of a game can run for 45 minutes. If that's not an issue with "time means TIME", then I don't know what is.

And the guy in the summary who is unhappy that a match that starts at 3PM doesn't end at 4:45PM on the dot -- he's just an idiot. Stoppage time has been a thing for a very long time.

Re:Nah, 'diving' did that a long time ago.

[Anne Thwacks]

Many calls by a referee can seem arbitrary.

It is very important that the team who loses can say "we woz robbed!" - it keeps up the spirits of the downhearted. it keeps supporters loyal to hopeless teams.

Also, the fact that few goals are scored means that luck is more important than skill - also important given the chronic lack of skills possessed by some teams, and lack of team spirit in others. It is also great for the bookies.

Soccer is not about playing the game, its about belonging to a group.

So it was a citroenella candle?

[raymorris]

> Disclosure: My Citroen burned like a fucking candle

Maybe someone was trying to keep the bugs away and got.confused.

https://www.homedepot.com/b/Ou...

Re:Video Refereeing Certainly Changes the Game

[Comrade Ogilvy]

While there are increased delays, there were already delays. An extra 30ish seconds after the goal already went into the net, to see if it should be cancelled is not appreciably different than the arguing that is normal when a controversial call or non-call happens. At least now a ref can say shut up and I am going to look at the video with my own eyes.

As for real game stopping delays for reviewing general non-calls, they do not stop play for that. Rather the video is reviewed an the ref on the field is consulted once the next throw in or whatever break happens.

VAR has reversed some bad calls

[Kwelstr]

My overall feeling in this cup is that VAR has been a well overdue positive innovation. I've seen some bad calls, included penalties, reversed because of VAR. There is nothing worst than losing a game on a bad penalty call by the ref. I am glad this is finally happening.