Hello, my name is Leo and I’m in 6^th Form and in this blog I will be talking about VAR and how much of an effect it’s made on football. VAR stands for video assistant referee. It’s a match official in football who reviews decisions made by the head referee with the use of video footage and a headset to communicate. Here is a list of what VAR will be used for in a game.

Goals: VAR is used to determine whether there was a violation in the rules that means a goal should not be awarded. As the ball has crossed the line, play is interrupted so there is no direct impact on the game.

Penalty decisions: VAR is used to make certain that no wrong decisions are made in combination of the award or non-award of a penalty.

Direct red cards: VAR is used to make certain that no wrong decisions are made in combination with sending off or not sending off a player.

Mistaken identity: If the referee accidently sends off the wrong player. VAR will make certain which player should be sent off. VAR will tell the referee who was the correct player who can be sent off.

VAR was first put into action in the summer of 2018 during the World Cup, and is now being used in the Premier League. It will be exciting to see how people think of VAR at the end of the season. Personally I like VAR, even though some people say it takes all the fun out of football, I think it is a great addition to football because it makes it much fairer so no teams will suffer a bad decision by the referee or any officials. That is my blog, I hope you’ve enjoyed it and goodbye.