Will the CPL have VAR? Should it?

[Ams1984]

I’m not sure if this has already been addressed, but I can’t think of it off hand, has there been any indication as to whether the CPL will use VAR?

I have mixed feelings on the matter... on paper VAR seems like a decent idea, but I’ve seen enough random calls or non-calls by VAR to know that it’s far from the perfect solution it was billed as. I’ve almost come to think that it’s basically adding just another pointless level of human error to the mix. 

Thoughts?

[Rintaran]

I don't think they've officially announced it yet.

Considering how VAR has been consistently rolling out, I would be more surprised if they didn't opt to have VAR.

As we would be the first (only?) league to have VAR in place during the league's first season, it would be much easier to implement and I think calls would be more consistent than we may see elsewhere.

I'm mixed on VAR, but definitely not surprised at its adoption.

[Ams1984]

1 minute ago, Rintaran said:

I don't think they've officially announced it yet.

Considering how VAR has been consistently rolling out, I would be more surprised if they didn't opt to have VAR.

As we would be the first (only?) league to have VAR in place during the league's first season, it would be much easier to implement and I think calls would be more consistent than we may see elsewhere.

I'm mixed on VAR, but definitely not surprised at its adoption.

That makes sense, if they’re going to do it at all, best to start with it. Surely they’ve decided by now whether they’ll use it, I wonder when they’ll be kind enough to let us know!

[gator]

I have mixed feelings about VAR in general, it remains to be seen if the league wil budget to have the cameras and producer required for VAR!

[Ams1984]

Just now, gator said:

I have mixed feelings about VAR in general, it remains to be seen if the league wil budget to have the cameras and producer required for VAR!

True. That may be the deciding factor!

[gator]

19 minutes ago, Ams1984 said:

True. That may be the deciding factor!

The English Championship has discussed the use of VAR, the limiting factor is just that, lack of cameras and personnel, their budget is much higher than the fledgling CPL will be!

[Sébastien]

I love VAR. For two reasons:

1. It's not perfect, but from the matches I have seen, it does mean more calls that can decide outcomes are the right ones.

2. It's transparency for referees. You can better tell the differences between the good ones and those who get their on-field calls overturned more often.

That being said, I can't imagine that CPL will have enough budget for it at the start,. so I do not expect it to be in place.

[Tigers]

Not really VAR related, but this thread made me think of it.

Can CPL please, please, PLEASE have a "no diving" policy? If we want a by Canadians,  for Canadians approach,  how a bit of good old toughness. 

As a not a huge spectator of soccer, I always feel like I'd like it way more if players fought to keep on their feet and keep going,  rather than go over at the slightest touch. 

[Sébastien]

1 hour ago, Tigers said:

Not really VAR related, but this thread made me think of it.

Can CPL please, please, PLEASE have a "no diving" policy? If we want a by Canadians,  for Canadians approach,  how a bit of good old toughness. 

As a not a huge spectator of soccer, I always feel like I'd like it way more if players fought to keep on their feet and keep going,  rather than go over at the slightest touch. 

This. The league emphasizing to the referees that they want a no-tolerance policy on diving and that there should be no hesitation to have an increase in yellow cards.

A bit like post-lockout NHL in regards to hooking. It might take some time for people to adjust, but it will make the game better in the long-run.

[Kent]

I'm 99% sure they won't have VAR in season 1 for the reason mentioned already. It's expensive.

I am very glad to not have VAR. I'm not a fan of it. It doesn't increase my enjoyment of watching the game, and in fact it actually decreases my joy. It's not fun to hold on to your excitement to see if a goal will actually count or not, it's even more frustrating when you think you've seen something that was missed, and it doesn't even get reviewed, or the review doesn't go the way you wanted/expected it to go. Let me cheer the goal, not the ref pointing to half after a minute or two of reviewing video, or even after 30 seconds of waiting to see if it's going to be reviewed and then eventually come to the realization that the goal will count.

I am fine with goal line technology (but again, too expensive for year 1) because it's an objective thing. There is too much subjectivity involved in VAR calls though so it doesn't really solve any problems, it just makes the existing problems magnified. It used to be that if there was a bad call I could tell myself "Well I don't know what angle the ref had to see that" or "The ref doesn't get it slowed down". I can give the ref the benefit of the doubt and withhold my outrage and get on with my life. But when there is VAR the same number of bad calls are made/missed, but there are no excuses anymore. I really hate it.

[Kent]

1 hour ago, Sébastien said:

This. The league emphasizing to the referees that they want a no-tolerance policy on diving and that there should be no hesitation to have an increase in yellow cards.

A bit like post-lockout NHL in regards to hooking. It might take some time for people to adjust, but it will make the game better in the long-run.

The real key that people don't talk about so much with regards to diving isn't just punishing diving. It's making calls where the player is fouled but doesn't go to ground.

[Kent]

1 hour ago, Sébastien said:

I love VAR. For two reasons:

1. It's not perfect, but from the matches I have seen, it does mean more calls that can decide outcomes are the right ones.

2. It's transparency for referees. You can better tell the differences between the good ones and those who get their on-field calls overturned more often.

That being said, I can't imagine that CPL will have enough budget for it at the start,. so I do not expect it to be in place.

For number 2, you can't really use the number of overturned calls as a metric that plays a part in referee quality, because ultimately the ref decides if their own call should be overturned or not. A hard headed bad ref can look good by this metric.

[Sébastien]

2 minutes ago, Kent said:

For number 2, you can't really use the number of overturned calls as a metric that plays a part in referee quality, because ultimately the ref decides if their own call should be overturned or not. A hard headed bad ref can look good by this metric.

True, though when it comes to the blatant missed calls, there can no longer be that the referee had a bad angle, or missed it, etc. If they still do not overturn their call, their poor performance becomes poorer.

[Sébastien]

6 minutes ago, Kent said:

The real key that people don't talk to so much with regards to diving isn't just punishing diving. It's making calls where the player is fouled but doesn't go to ground.

This too. There's a reason why players dive, and it's because it works. Need to make sure that diving is not only punished, but actually becomes unecessary.

[1996]

On 1/15/2019 at 3:16 PM, Kent said:

I'm 99% sure they won't have VAR in season 1 for the reason mentioned already. It's expensive.

I am very glad to not have VAR. I'm not a fan of it. It doesn't increase my enjoyment of watching the game, and in fact it actually decreases my joy. It's not fun to hold on to your excitement to see if a goal will actually count or not, it's even more frustrating when you think you've seen something that was missed, and it doesn't even get reviewed, or the review doesn't go the way you wanted/expected it to go. Let me cheer the goal, not the ref pointing to half after a minute or two of reviewing video, or even after 30 seconds of waiting to see if it's going to be reviewed and then eventually come to the realization that the goal will count.

I am fine with goal line technology (but again, too expensive for year 1) because it's an objective thing. There is too much subjectivity involved in VAR calls though so it doesn't really solve any problems, it just makes the existing problems magnified. It used to be that if there was a bad call I could tell myself "Well I don't know what angle the ref had to see that" or "The ref doesn't get it slowed down". I can give the ref the benefit of the doubt and withhold my outrage and get on with my life. But when there is VAR the same number of bad calls are made/missed, but there are no excuses anymore. I really hate it.

In a game like soccer where  it’s very low scoring where one goal can decide a game  it’s actually one of the sports that’s needs it’s the most , I go spend my hard earned money to go watch a game that is decided with one bad call . Soccer of all the sports needs video review the most.

 

[Unnamed Trialist]

First you are supposed to not have any technological support, poor refs, huge reffing scandals, rivalries based on reffing screw-ups, and the corresponding lore.

Then you go for VAR.

Otherwise, no one will really appreciate it. 

[Bdog]

If it's not an inconsistent shitshow like in MLS, sure.