VAR Explained: What Is Video Assistant Referee? Know The Details.

VAR Explained: What Is Video Assistant Referee? Know The Details.

Video Assistant Referee or VAR has been quite a topic around the world since the beginning of World Cup 2018 season. Meanwhile, people are curious about this latest advancement in football which seems to have mixed reactions so far.

This hawk-eye technology has become the dominating discussion across the world recently. What makes this World Cup 2018 so special is the debut of this video based referee which is added to enhance accuracy and fair play in the matches. Let’s break down the whole complex process of VAR, so by the end, we actually get the whole picture.

What is VAR, world cup 2018?

VAR stands for Video Assistant Referee which is the use of video-based technology to reach towards more accurate decisions. Behind the video screen is the whole VAR team who will be monitoring through the video footage. The VAR team is centralized in International Broadcast Centre at Moscow, Russia no matter where the games are played.

The VAR team

The team is composed of one lead video official and three video assistants followed by 4 replay operators. All of them have access to all 33 of the broadcast cameras inside the stadium. Likewise, from all the 33 broadcast cameras 12 of them are slow-motion cameras. What gives the technology a certain edge are the two other additional cameras offering computer-generated lines projected onto the field of play. In addition, an ultra slow-motion camera installed behind each goal that makes up for the knockout phase.

The VAR team will monitor through these available cameras to review footage on the referee’s instructions. Similarly, they will also check through some obvious and clear signs of errors. The VAR team will review some of the game-changing incidents such as:

  • Goals,
  • Penalty decisions,
  • Direct red cards,
  • Cases of mistaken identities.

  • VAR
    Source: offsidefootball

How does VAR operate?

No matter how advanced the VAR might be it cannot work independently. Meaning, the VAR operates on a two-way communication system. The communication takes place in between the referee and the officials watching the video footage. You might have noticed the referee wearing a headset which is there so that the officials can instruct the referee whenever they believe he made a mistake. On the other hand, if the referee is unsure about his decision on-field he can communicate with the VAR team. All of this is monitored by a FIFA member who has access to all the communication taking place between the VAR team and the referee on the field.

VAR
Source: videoscope

How to identify when the VAR is being used?

On a whole level, the video assistant referee operates as an advisor and not as a decision maker for the on-field game. The VAR only comes into operation when the referee chooses to. So how do you identify when VAR is being used on the game? Well, that’s not very hard to spot at all. When you see the referee making a gesture of drawing a rectangle with his hands, that’s when you know the VAR is being considered in the game.

When the referee has to make decisions regarding the game, he can simply delay the match by signaling the TV screen (rectangular gesture) with his hand.

VAR World Cup 2018 so far

With the debut of VAR in this year’s World Cup, the matches were expected to be fairer than in the past. So far it’s use has been garnering mixed reactions from professionals and people around the world. The VAR has been a subject of constant debate of whether or not it should continue to stay in the tournaments. However, the FIFA team are reportedly fully satisfied with the outcomes and it’s performance.

So far, 10 penalties have been awarded in 17 matches while FIFA has a record of 18 penalties in an entire World Cup match. You can check the VAR effect for 2018 World Cup matches game by game here.