Qatar 2022 World Cup: What is the VAR and when is it used?
The Qatar 2022 World Cup will once more be using Video Assistant Referee technology four years after it was first introduced in the Russian competition.
Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology has returned for its second run at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar after making its debut in Russia 2018.
VAR has been used at the highest levels of football for the past five years, including major leagues and European competitions such as the Champions League and Europa League.
FIFA announced that VAR and semi-automated offside technology would be utilized in Qatar. These technologies aim to be a support tool for both video match and on-field officials to help them make faster, more accurate offside decisions.
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When is VAR used?
VAR is also used to countercheck important calls, like potential red cards, penalties, and incidents of mistaken identity. Referees make use of an earpiece to communicate and confer with the VAR team and then check decisions on pitchside monitors.
Although the technology has been employed for a few years, VAR is still mired in controversy. Soccer fans have been accustomed to seeing it used in matches, but they are clamoring for it to be employed in a correct and efficient manner.
VAR in action early in the 2022 FIFA World Cup
On the first day of the 2022 World Cup, the first controversial VAR decision was made only a few minutes into the game between Ecuador and host Qatar.
Enner Valencia of Ecuador was ecstatic after thinking he had made the fastest opening goal at a World Cup, but it was eventually disallowed. VAR showed that his teammate Michael Estrada’s foot was offside leading up to the goal.