What happens when VAR makes a mistake?

The issue is that when watching on television, many viewers saw a Juventus player handle the ball, which, according to current rules, should have been disallowed as a goal regardless of the reason. But VAR failed to detect it; more precisely, the VAR referees did not carefully review all camera angles to detect the error, or perhaps they detected it but did not report it to the referee for proper handling of the situation?

Not only in Serie A, but in top leagues around the world, the story of VAR errors and mistakes by VAR referees is a constant occurrence, still considered "part of football" as a way to excuse refereeing errors in the "human" era, unlike the current technological age. Arsenal have been unfairly denied goals, even victories, in the Premier League when the London team was consistently leading the league and cruising towards the finish line. Barcelona seems to always be "favored" by VAR, securing important wins to overtake their arch-rival Real Madrid in La Liga.

FIFA has amended and supplemented countless rules, both large and small, to make football matches fairer and more exciting. Many new technologies have been implemented to prevent incidents like the "Hand of God" involving Maradona, such as "ghost goals"—whether the ball crossed or not—imaginary penalties where defenders haven't committed a foul, intentional or unintentional handballs in the penalty area, first-time handballs, or balls bouncing off other body parts.

Technology certainly brings joy to those who "benefit" from it, but it also brings sadness to old habits, past mistakes, and even errors and blunders.VAR refereeWhen the boundary lines aren't drawn precisely, when the entire camera angle isn't monitored as mentioned above, even though the overall picture of football and sports today is gradually becoming more objective and fairer with VAR constantly intervening to clarify every detail and situation that the naked eye would quickly overlook.

VAR technology was implemented at the World Cup. Source: Zing.vn

Vietnamese sports in general, and Vietnamese football in particular, are gradually implementing VAR to keep pace with the advanced and modern practices of the region and the world. Video Challenge Eyes technology, or VAR, was introduced in the 2022 season and is now operating continuously in Round 1 of the 2023 National Volleyball Championship. Accordingly, if teams request VAR to intervene and it is deemed correct, there is no limit to the number of appeals. Conversely, if the request is determined to be incorrect, it is limited to two appeals, after which the team loses the right to appeal. This is to ensure objectivity and prevent the game from being disrupted.

During the break in the 2023 V-League after four rounds, Vietnamese football's VAR referees have been diligently learning and operating the new technology in preparation for its application in upcoming matches. Clearly, besides the notable new features regarding the use of foreign players, overseas Vietnamese players, naturalized players, and the two-stage competition framework, the early implementation of VAR will create a new wave of fairness and objectivity, minimizing instances of referee bias leading to disciplinary action and addressing various controversies surrounding the officiating team. However, this does not mean that VAR referees are immune to errors, which can be due to various reasons, such as unfamiliarity with the technology, lack of proficiency, or insufficient experience.

The VAR system was introduced to European professional football in the Bundesliga and Serie A at the beginning of the 2017–18 season. Source: Zing.vn

Therefore, it can be said that technology is important but cannot completely replace humans – humans operate the technology to minimize errors and mistakes in heated derby matches, decisive games where a referee's mistake can have far-reaching consequences. As long as amateurism in sports still lingers in some places, technology is often just a decorative element.