We’ve come to equate contact with fouls, and that’s a core issue right now. We see a player go down in the box. The referee blows his whistle and points to the spot. VAR looks to see if there is contact to justify it. If there’s contact, the call is confirmed and there’s a pen. VAR doesn’t try to use any sort of judgement to determine if the contact led to the result. In fact, given Mike Dean’s statements, I’d argue the opposite is true: VAR is looking for any shred of evidence to justify the on-field referee’s call, regardless of how correct or incorrect it is.
This situation has come about because the reward for deceiving the referee changes the outcome of games. The risk is almost negligible. How many outright dives are actually punished with yellow cards? 5%? Less? So, an attacker feels the brush of contact and goes down, knowing that the process is on their side. If the referee is deceived, VAR will confirm. If he isn’t, he won’t be punished.
VAR needs the autonomy to get these calls correct. I don’t care what the referee’s decision is. It’s one guy, typically older, trying to keep up with 22 elite athletes with 9600 square yards to play with. It’s an impossible job. Look at the play, determine if there was a foul. Don’t look for a brush of contact.
During the week, convene a panel of players and referees to look at shady “fouls.” Let them decide if there was a dive. If they’re unanimous, issue a three match suspension.
Doing the same shit over and over again and expecting improvement is insane. We’re so far past the point of knowing this system is devastatingly broken that it’s criminal we’re continuing down the same road.
