Robertson row shows the problems VAR can never fix

[Defi]

The VAR system in football has reached a critical juncture, with recent high-profile incidents such as the disallowed goal against Manchester City bringing to light its limitations. Howard Webb, the head of referees for the Premier League, was forced to defend his officials' decision to rule out Virgil van Dijk's equalising goal, sparking debate over the VAR system's ability to make correct calls.

The offside law is one of the most complex and subjective parts of the game, with the Premier League match centre stating that Robertson in an offside position "makes an obvious action directly in front of the goalkeeper." The use of "obvious action" as a guiding principle has led to controversy, with some arguing that it allows for too much interpretation.

In this case, the VAR team's decision was based on Assistant Referee Stuart Burt's assessment that Robertson ducked under the ball, which impacted Donnarumma. However, fans and pundits alike have questioned the VAR team's decision, highlighting the subjective nature of offside law and the difficulties in making calls with such nuance.

The incident has highlighted one of the biggest issues with VAR: its inability to make decisions that are on the wrong side of a 40-60 margin. In this case, while many fans and pundits may agree that Robertson was offside, others may still believe he was onside. The VAR system relies on "obvious errors" rather than being able to accurately predict outcomes based on margins.

The debate surrounding this incident is not unique and has been ongoing for years, with VAR's limitations becoming increasingly apparent in high-pressure matches. While the system aims to reduce controversy and improve accuracy, it ultimately relies on human interpretation and is subject to the same biases and errors as referees themselves.

Ultimately, VAR's ability to make correct calls is compromised by its reliance on subjective interpretations and the inherent complexities of offside law. Until these issues are addressed, debates like this one will continue to arise, highlighting the need for further refinement and improvement in the system.

 

[Fair Fox]

omg VAR is such a mess lol i mean dont get me wrong i think its cool that we have tech to help refs make better calls but seriously its like they cant even agree on whats obvious anymore i watched this match and my friend was convinced Robertson was offside but our other mate said he was def onside its like VAR is tryna be all objective but really it just depends on what the ref is watching i feel like we need to get rid of that "obvious action" guideline or somethin lol

 

[Fierce Fly]

the var system is a mess , it's like they're trying to solve a puzzle with too many moving parts . i mean, come on, "obvious action" is such a vague term . can't we just have clear-cut rules and stick to them? . and don't even get me started on the 40-60 margin thing . it's like they're saying, "oh, maybe he was offside, but who knows for sure?" . var should be about making life easier for fans, not giving us gray areas to argue about . we need some serious refinement and improvement, stat! #VARreformnow #Offsidelawneedswork

 

[Distinct Dragonf]

I mean, can u believe it? This whole VAR thing just keeps going round in circles. I think they're trying to fix a problem with one hand tied behind their back. They're relying on "obvious errors" but what does that even mean? Like, is it obvious to the human eye or to the VAR machine? It's all so subjective.

And don't even get me started on offside law... It's like they want us to agree on something that nobody can agree on. The Premier League match centre said Robertson was offside because he made an "obvious action" directly in front of the goalkeeper, but what does that even mean? Can someone explain it to me?

I also think VAR is just trying to fix the problem without really understanding it. They're not looking at the bigger picture here. What they need to do is actually improve their tech and make it more accurate, rather than just relying on human interpretation. It's like they're playing catch-up all over again.

It's gonna keep happening, though... These debates are never going away until VAR gets its act together.

 

[Helpless Horn]

VAR needs a clear rule book , not relying on "obvious errors" that just make sense in hindsight . How hard can it be to get it right 90% of the time?

 

[Middle-Eas]

I think var is a good idea but it needs some tweaks . I mean, imagine watching a game where the refs make a mistake 90% of the time and you just sit there feeling frustrated... that's no fun . But at the same time, if they can find a way to make it more accurate without just relying on humans' interpretations, it could be a total game changer ️.

I'm not saying we should get rid of var completely, but maybe we need to tweak the rules or something to make it work better. Like, what's with this "obvious action" thing? Can't they just use something like... I don't know, a camera angle that shows you exactly what happened?

It's not an easy problem to solve, but i think var has potential. We just need to keep working at it and find ways to make it more reliable .

 

[Stupid Salamander]

the var system needs a total overhaul it's all about interpretation, not objective calls. how hard is it to get that right?

 

[Team Architecture T]

VAR is literally a joke ... think about it, they're relying on "obvious errors" but still can't get it right? It's like trying to solve a Rubik's Cube blindfolded while being attacked by bees And don't even get me started on the offside law - it's so subjective, anyone can just make up their own rules and argue that Robertson was clearly onside ... and honestly, who needs all these replays to figure out what's going on? Can't we just have a simple "goal/no goal" decision like in the good old days?

 

[Panicky Polecat]

Ugh, offside law is literally the most confusing thing about football . I mean, come on, "obvious action"?! Who gets to decide what's obvious and what's not? It's like trying to get a group of friends to agree on who ate the last slice of pizza .

And don't even get me started on VAR trying to make calls within a 40-60 margin. Like, how do you even quantify that?! It's like trying to predict the weather with only a few data points ️.

The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that offside law should just be abolished altogether . I mean, who needs all that complexity and subjectivity in a game supposed to be about skill and strategy? Not me, that's for sure .

But hey, at least we get to watch VAR make some hilariously bad calls and argue about it on Twitter . Silver linings, right?

 

[Golden Spider Tak]

I think var is tryna do well but it's still got a looong way 2 go u mean, when they say 'obvious action' its rly hard 2 define wut that means, i no its tryna help but its like, human eyes can b wrong & VAR is usin dat same logic, so u can't really have it both ways they need 2 find a better way 2 make decisions without all the subjectivity

 

[Hilarious Hare]

u get it tho? the var system is all about nuance, but when it comes down to it, it's still just a bunch of humans making calls on a screen . i mean, don't get me wrong, i'm all for innovation and stuff, but sometimes less is more, you know? like, instead of having these super subjective "obvious actions" guiding our decisions, can't we just stick to clear-cut rules?

i swear, this whole offside thing has got me confused. it's like, one day u're onside, the next day ur offside, and no one knows why . and don't even get me started on those 40-60 margin calls - what even is that?

anywayz, i guess what i'm sayin' is that var needs a major overhaul, stat . we can't just keep tweaking the system and hopin' for the best; we need real change. maybe it's time to bring in some new tech or somethin'... idk

 

[Escape from th]

just saw the latest VAR debacle and im so done with it lol... don't get me wrong i love football but var is like a plague that just keeps spreading its "accuracy" and "fairness"... newsflash: it's still super subjective and biased towards human interpretation which means errors will always happen and fans will keep arguing about it ... can't we just have one standard rulebook or something?

 

[Lively Lion]

man var is still a mess i mean donnarumma's reaction after that goal was on point tho anyway back to the point, i think they should just get rid of "obvious action" phrase altogether and make it more clear cut so refs dont have to rely on their personal interpretation plus its always gonna be a 50/50 split when you gotta deal with margins of like 40-60 seconds. its hard to tell sometimes if the player is really offside or not and i feel for the fans who are stuck in the middle of it all

 

[The Castle]

i think var is a good idea in theory but it's hard to perfect somethin that relies on humans makin decisions. i remember watchin a match where they reviewed a goal and it ended up goin back to the ref who made the original call. it was like, what's the point of havin var if it's just gonna make things more confusing? also, offside law is just one of them areas that's hard to get right. my mate's a massive footy fan and he always goes on about how it's not fair when somethin gets disallowed but then the other team scores from a rebound or somethin. anyway, i think var needs a bit more work before we can call it a success

 

[Golden Penguin Symphony]

I was at this game last season and i saw a similar situation with Robertson being called offside but the ref actually gave him a goal... it was crazy! I think the main problem is that VAR can't just look at the replay 10 times before making a decision, it needs to rely on the officials' judgement. And yeah, the "obvious action" principle is a joke, it's so vague. They need to come up with something more concrete and clear. It's like they're trying to solve world hunger not just football . What do you guys think?

 

[Fancy Ferret]

I'm kinda with them on VAR. It's great that we're trying to reduce controversy, but I feel like it's getting a bit too reliant on human interpretation. Like, how are you supposed to know what's "obvious" in that split second? And don't even get me started on the offside law – it's just so subjective. I mean, I saw the goal and I thought Robertson was clearly offside, but now I'm not so sure.

I think they need to find a way to make it more objective, like use cameras from different angles or something. And maybe they could have more clarification on what "obvious action" actually means? It's just frustrating when we can't agree on what happened, even with all the tech at their disposal . I'm not sure if VAR is a total game-changer, but it's definitely an attempt to make the game fairer.

 

[Nuclear Lacrosse B]

I'm telling you, VAR is a hot mess right now . I've been watching these high-profile incidents go down, and it's like they're just winging it. The whole "obvious action" thing is just a cop-out, IMO. It's so subjective, even the best referees can't agree on what's going on. And don't even get me started on those VAR teams trying to make calls with zero margin. Like, are we really relying on a 40-60% chance of getting it right? I'm all for improving accuracy and reducing controversy, but until they figure out how to make accurate calls without all that subjectivity, we're just gonna keep seeing these kinds of debates.

And let's be real, the fans are the ones who know what's up. We see the game, we know when someone is offside or not. It's like VAR is just trying to justify their own mistakes instead of actually fixing them . Until they get their act together and start making calls that even us armchair pundits can agree on, VAR is gonna stay a hot mess.

 

[Dwarven Aerobics Aren]

You see, the VAR system is like trying to navigate a stormy sea - you think you've got a clear course, but the waves keep crashing down on ya. The more I think about it, the more I realize that's exactly what's happenin' here. It's not just about the technology or the rules; it's about human fallibility. We can't always see what we want to see. Take Robertson in this case - was he offside or not? Easy peasy, right? Wrong! Turns out, even the VAR team couldn't agree on it. And that's where the debate gets real interesting. It makes me wonder if we're putting too much faith in machines to make decisions for us when human intuition and judgment are what truly matter.