Quote:
Originally Posted by AlexB
The way it’s going VAR might actually increase diving if players find everything gets VAR treatment, and some people see any contact being a foul.
The game is at a crossroads for sure.
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Agreed, and it's not only that, it's the little innocuous things that have never been a penalty but are technically fouls that are going to pop up all over the place. I don't think I'm exaggerating to say that there are 3 fouls on every corner and attacking free kick in English football, so what are they going to do when players start surrounding the ref demanding for a check late in a close game? It's like if the NFL suddenly decided they were going to review holding on the interior line on every play.
Pandora's box for sure, the most sensible VAR usage in the men's game I've seen has been when the ref has chosen to just ignore something that is technically a foul but pre-VAR wouldn't have risen to the level of a penalty (e.g. the German cup final last season) but how long until that happens to a Barcelona or PSG in a big game and even that level of choice is taken away from them? It's not hyperbole to say it's a complete game changer and it's going to destroy the flow of games and the way they are refereed, IMO. Clear and obvious error has already turned into check every little last thing, and it's not getting better once players learn how to game the system.