FIFA WORLD CUP: Fickle Technology

It came up to avoid these sorts of injustice, but the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) has not been applied as it should. The VAR has caused tongues to wag in every single game of this FIFA World Cup. Most of the time, critics have been aired in a negative way.

Of course, it is not my goal to go against technology. My critic targets those in charge of using it in a room with big TVs, and referees on the pitch.

In theory, the head referee in charge of VAR must call the referee on the pitch whenever there are controversial plays —within FIFA rules—. However, the referee on the field is not bound to follow the suggestion. Thus, we do not know when it is certainly his responsibility or not if a debatable play is not reviewed.

The game France-Australia was just perfect. A penalty was awarded thanks to the VAR and then, a goal was called when it was determined that the ball surpassed the goal line.

Nonetheless, Argentina was wronged. A possible penalty was not signaled in a game play. It did not occur in the game Mexico-Germany, or Brazil-Switzerland, or Serbia-Costa Rica. Technology could have changed the game in two of those games.

I do not know if FIFA executives punished the VAR referees in the France-Australia game, which would have been totally unfair. Technology is there to solve these kinds of stuffs. The most important thing is justice no matter how or who are responsible for getting it done.

That is why justice can’t be parented. In other words, justice cannot be a responsibility of only one man. I believe that referees on the pitch must have the final word. But he should also listen to those referees inside a room whenever they advise to review a game play. Therefore, the best referee is not the one who makes the final call, but the one who makes the right call.

Translated by Sergio A. Paneque Diaz / CubaSi Translation Staff