Crystal Palace 0-0 Everton: Three Takeaways | VAR off in Search of El Dorado

Crystal Palace 0-0 Everton: Three Takeaways | VAR off in Search of El Dorado

Crystal Palace 0-0 Everton: Three

Takeaways | VAR off in Search of El

Dorado  This season, the referees were the main

focus of the action at Selhurst Park when

Everton and Crystal Palace played to a

scoreless draw in the FA Cup Third

Round. It’s not to say that this game was

exactly a classic ruined by interfering

officials—far from it—but it’s still

frustrating to watch how much of a game

is decided by what seem to be

increasingly arbitrary, obtrusive referee

decisions, especially from those who

aren’t even in the stadium. I’m not too

satisfied with where the world of football is at right now, around 2024.

Like almost everyone else, I grew up

viewing football as a chaotic sport with

ebbs and flows and complex, hard-to-

evaluate scenarios, despite its many

flaws. The game was governed by the

referee and linesmen, who are now

assistants. They each had their own

subjective interpretations and

occasionally made incorrect or

erroneous rulings, which led to a great

deal of resentment and feelings of

injustice amongst upset spectators.

Nevertheless, despite all of its flaws,

officiating was a necessary component of

an imperfect activity that is faulty by

definition. And there was a certain level of fan acceptance in it.

Regretfully, the authorities have

embarked on a quest for El Dorado in an

effort to achieve perfection, and it

appears that they will come up empty-

handed just like the old conquistadors

did. However, PGMOL is making a

growing number of fans disillusioned

with the purported advancements gained

from the greater use of technology in the

game, particularly that of the video

assistance referee (VAR), rather than

driving them insane, sending them

wandering off, and killing them in South

American jungles. It goes without saying

that almost no one is opposed to getting

rid of pitch mistakes. But at what price?

Are we noticeably approaching

flawlessly officiated football games? It’s not anything I can see.

The Premier League teams’ debut into

the FA Cup competition was marked by a

high-profile Thursday night match on

free TV in the UK. As a result, there were

eyes on the match, and the referees blew

it badly. The guy in charge of things in

South London, Christ Kavanagh,

described Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s

harmless tackle on Nathaniel Clyne as

fair. This is a sensible assessment that

most people in the stadium and those

watching from a distance would agree

with, as would the straightforward call of

a foul. No one would argue with either

verdict. But after a protracted pause, VAR

official Craig Pawson noticed something

different and told the match referee—

who had been yards away from the

action, unlike Pawson—to go to the video booth.

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