No need for clubs or managers to form an altruistic united front for all to see the VAR system is fucking the league up.
The current VAR system has a broken design.
Requesting a VAR review will always reduce a match ref's accountability for getting his first call correct. Any conflicting interests he has then have (relatively) more weight. For example:
- he prefers to share the abuse or criticism for an unpopular or prejudiced call with the VAR
- he is corrupt (eg he receives covert payments for favourable decisions as per Barcelona)
- he is speculating on contingent career opportunities
The high standards of the 'clear and obvious error' principle in the VAR protocol means many wrong calls made by the match ref won't be overruled on the VAR's advice.
These things take effect and damage the competition whether or not Mikel Arteta delivers a furious tirade.
It's not controversial to suggest the Joelinton–Gabriel incident would have been ruled a foul in time gone by. VAR Andy Madley has a free hand not to advise that it was a foul. All he has to say in justification is he's not entirely sure Attwell's non-call is a 'clear and obvious error'. Who knows why match ref Stuart Attwell doesn't make that original call? Maybe he's incompetent. Maybe he doesn't fancy the reaction of the Toon crowd. Doesn't matter because after the twists and turns of a triple VAR check and an outcome that pleases the home fans, he's all good.
As a couple of ex-referees said to the press (leaving aside Neville's fantasies about "diving under the ball") Joelinton commits a pretty ordinary two-handed push that fails the eye test. Goal Newcastle.
Donning the tinfoil hat, what other factors could affect Attwell's decision? NUFC is owned by Saudi Arabia. Its federation SAFF recruits for senior roles among current Premier League referees. Howard Webb and Mark Clattenburg are two who moved directly from the Premier League to become SAFF Director of Referees.
PGMOL is headed for trouble if it doesn't get a grip on all this. It's not about a few operational glitches where the VAR forgets to draw the lines ruling on a tight offside. Even though that rank incompetence is a joke.
The problem is the design. Correctly operating this VAR system is going to foster many more game-changing (if not 'clear and obvious') refereeing errors, which the video review will tend to uphold, and PGMOL officials won't face consequences. Before we could flog the match ref for terrible calls. Until this dumb shit changes we'll see a circus of bad decisions most weeks.
