There will be new changes for the 2021-22 Premier League season in terms of the VAR rules which have been so controversial over the past few years
The video assistant referee (VAR) is a match official which takes care of controversial onfield decisions like a penalty, handball, or offside. It was introduced in 2018 to help the match officials in better decision-making that could be vital in the outcome of the match.
Since 2018, VAR has not gained any popularity among football fans but has invited more criticism for not clearing controversial situations and disrupting the flow of the game. Football in the past was a fast game but the introduction of VAR has changed everything.
Now the players wait on the field for the match official to check on the screen and make that vital call of offside or rewarding a penalty. It breaks the momentum of the game by interfering with the slightest of contacts interrupting the concentration of players.
Premier League 2021-22: New VAR Rules Will Favour The Strikers In Offside Calls
New VAR rules have been introduced to return the speedy flow of the game which did not happen since VAR was introduced in 2018. You have to make the laws more dynamic which can change according to time and situations for the betterment of the game.
New Rules of VAR
1. Offside
The most significant rule change will be witnessed during the offside calls which was previously a thin line that tracked the body parts of a player like a nose, armpit, and even hairs in an offside position. However, that will not be the case anymore as new laws suggest that there will be one more thick line that will take the body parts like a nose, armpit, and even hairs into consideration.
Meanwhile, 20 goals from the last season would have been allowed if new rules had been introduced in the previous campaign. Let’s see what improvements are done in the offside department this season as compared to last season where Offside calls were made even by the slightest of margins.
2. Penalty
New penalty laws state that the referee needs to consider the intention of defenders as well as the degree and consequence of contact before awarding a penalty to the other team. The main objective behind this rule change is to discourage the exaggeration of players in the penalty box and diving.
However, new laws will lay some groundwork for the referees to understand the intensity of the contact made by the defender, the intention behind that contact, and the consequences of it should be considered before taking any harsh decision which can change the outlook of the match.
Referees chief Mike Riley says-
“That means that the referee team – both referees and VAR – donโt intervene for trivial offences. Itโs really going: โLet’s create a free-flowing game.”
How can the game flow smoothly if they keep on interrupting it every time. Since the introduction of VAR, the game has lost its pace and unpredictable nature which was so important in the game. Also, it has left no margin for error in the offside department which was previously the sole job of the sideline referee.