The adoption of VAR, short for “Video Assistant Referee,” which uses technology to examine decisions made by match referees, has changed the game of football.

The advent of VAR in recent years has sparked a heated debate among football players and fans about the advantages and disadvantages of employing technology to aid in making decisions during games. VAR will be introduced to the sport’s largest platform for the second time at the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup, and more discussion about its deployment seems unavoidable.

Consider the history of VAR in the game and the preparations made to make sure it functions well in Qatar before the tournament starts. 

What is football’s VAR?

During a football game, video assistant referees may be employed in four different circumstances. Only when a glaring mistake or major missed incident relates to the following, the VAR may help the referee:

• Goal or not a goal
• Penalty or none
• (No second yellow or warning) Direct red card
• Case of mistaken identity (where the wrong player gets dismissed by the referee)

The match referee cannot rely on VAR after making any decision in any of the aforementioned instances since VAR can only be used after the match referee has made an initial determination. VAR can, however, be used to verify if a referee’s decision to permit play to continue was accurate.

The referee is always in charge of making the final call, whether it is on the basis of data from VAR or after conducting an in-person investigation into the incident in question. Only matches or competitions where the organizer has obtained formal approval from FIFA and complied with the conditions of FIFA’s Implementation Assistance and Approval Programme (IAAP) are permitted to employ VAR.

Who are the World Cup’s VARs?

Only the second FIFA World Cup, which used VAR successfully for the first time in Russia four years earlier, will be held.

The 64 World Cup games will be overseen by a total of 36 referees, 69 assistant referees, and 24 video match officials, representing all six FIFA confederations. Following are the VAR officials chosen for the 2022 World Cup:

• The QAT’s Abdullah Al Marri
• CHI’s Julio Bascunan
• The SGP Muhammad Bin Jahari
• Jerome Brisard and Bastian Dankert, both from France
• ESP’s Ricardo De Burgos and Australia’s Shaun Evans
• CAN Drew Fischer
• (GER) Marco Fritz
• (COL) Nicolas Gallo
• (URU) Leodan Gonzalez
• (MEX) Fernando Guerrero
• ESP Alejandro Hernandez
• Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)
• MAR Redouane Jiyed
• Poland’s Tomasz Kwiatkowski
• Juan Soto (VEN), Benoit Millot (FRA), and Juan Martinez (ESP)
• Italy’s Paolo Valeri
• NED’s Paulus Van Boekel
• ARG’s Mauro Vigliano
• USA native Armando Villarreal
• MAR Adil Zourak

The new VAR offside technology: what is it?

FIFA has authorized new artificial intelligence-powered technology that should hasten the decision-making process when it comes to offside calls at the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

Semi-Automated Offside Technology (SAOT), a development of the VAR system, uses 12 specialized cameras to watch each player’s on-pitch positions throughout the 2022–2023 Champions League group stages.

When an offside judgment is made, video match referees get 29 data points from each player engaged in the incident and manually review the offside line that was generated automatically based on the players’ locations to make sure the decision was correct.

All broadcast partners will have access to the SAOT animations, which will be seen by viewers watching on TV and broadcast within World Cup stadiums. During the FIFA Arab Cup and FIFA Club World Cup in 2021, the technology was successfully employed to quickly and accurately determine if a player was onside.

Where will VARs be stationed during the 2022 World Cup?

Each of the eight World Cup sites in Qatar will have a video operation room (VOR) where VARs will be stationed. The improved match ball technology being used at the World Cup will be advantageous to the VARs situated in each VOR. An inertial measurement unit sensor is embedded into the “Al Rihila” match ball and is located right in the middle of the object. This sensor transmits information about the ball to the VOR 500 times per second, enabling VARs to precisely track the ball’s whereabouts when making decisions.

VAR in Football FAQs

1) What does a VAR stand for?

What Is VAR and How Does It Operate? – The PFSA

VAR, which was developed by the Refereeing 2.0 project in 2010, is being utilized in many football matches. The term, which stands for “Video Assistant Referee,” permits specific occurrences to be examined by either the primary referee or the VAR crew.

2) In Indian football, what is VAR?

According to FIFA regulations, VAR systems must use a minimum of four cameras to evaluate offsides, evident mistakes, and major missed situations. 

3) Who implemented VAR in football first?

The Refereeing 2.0 project, run by the Royal Netherlands Football Association (KNVB), had the idea for VAR in the early 2010s. During the Eredivisie, the top football league in the nation, season of 2012–2013, the system was put to the test through mock trials.

4) In football, who can use VAR?

The referee

A “review” can only be started by the referee; the VAR and other match officials can only suggest one to the referee. 5. The referee always makes the final determination, either based on data from the VAR or following an “on-field review” (OFR).