I think you underestimate a little just how much training is necessary to become good at being a VAR. I'm just talking the technical aspects of it, not the decision-making part. Not enough leagues use the technology regularly. If VAR is here to stay, that will change in 2019 and 2020. Then you'd be in a good situation where you can have a good pool of referees for a World Cup tournament. Of course, this is all a digression now...
I'm having technical difficulties but you can see it around the 50 second mark here. https://streamable.com/hiudg
I think it says more about our collective ability to go down unrelated or tangentially related rabbit holes! He's been fine. But not great or good. He's been what FIFA wants.
True, so let me end with one question for you. Do you think this tournament would have been better off without VAR?
From a referee's perspective, yes. But mostly because I think referees would have been more inclined to make some necessary red card decisions. From a fan's perspective, I don't know. It had some very good uses early on in the tournament that led to penalties being given or not given. So it felt like it was working for a bit. But the ultimate inconsistency makes me think the more devoted/dedicated fans would say "yes." For the more casual fan, probably "no."
So, what changes mentally for the ref crew at this interval? Obviously sucking down fluids, but what's the talk amongst the crew?
Is this some weird thing exclusive to this sub, because I don't see it anywhere else on the internet. You either put /s at the end to denote sarcasm or you have some balls and don't mark it at all as sarcasm and watch the dumpster fire it brings.
Probably the same thing I tell my crew whenever you need a winner at the end of a match: A good referee never lets it go to penalty kicks
Couldn't tell if that ball was completely over or not. Part of the ball not on the ground could've still been in. Camera angle wasn't conclusive.
I have been wondering if GK/CK is going to be the first step on VAR's slippery slope. Significant decision that is easy to see on video and sometimes easy to miss live on a minor deflection.
Not a fan of the R stepping toward players like that in response to the kicker's teammate without holding up the kick--he got pulled into the gamesmanship