VAR dominates football discourse most weeks and its use in the 2024/25 FA Cup has received significant attention with the third round matches taking place.
The technology has been part of the FA Cup process since the 2017/18 season but was left out of the third round of the current season, renewing the debate over VAR in England's oldest cup competition.
But why was VAR canceled in the third round? FA Cup?
The FA has made adjustments to the implementation of VAR at this year's tournament, with the technology now only being used from Round 5 onwards.
Previously, VAR was used in the third and fourth rounds of the competition, but it was only used in… Premier LeagueReasons e. On the one hand, it made sense given that Premier League stadiums already had the technology in place, but it created an imbalance given that different matches in the same round of the competition ultimately had different rules.
From the 2024/25 season onwards, VAR will be used across the board in Round 5 regardless of venue, creating a fairer ecosystem within the competition.
The FA said in a statement about its decision: “It was agreed to use video assistant referee technology in every match in the fifth round of the competition until the final at Wembley Stadium, and it will not be used in the third and fourth matches.” Tours.
“VAR has only been used in the FA Cup previously for matches at Wembley Stadium and in Premier League stadiums due to the infrastructure, manpower and costs required to operate it.
“This decision ensures a consistent refereeing approach for all clubs participating at the same stage of the competition.”
VAR is unable to intervene in all scenarios, mainly because there is a reluctance to re-referee matches, for all intents and purposes. West Ham United He would not have felt the benefit of VAR in their defeat to Aston Villa On Friday night, for example, because referee Tim Robinson incorrectly awarded a corner kick to the Villans does not fall within the four permitted categories.
VAR can intervene in a match in the following situations, and its job is to try to prevent the on-field referee from making a clear and obvious error.
The field referee makes the initial call, in cooperation with his two assistants manning the touchline (if necessary). VAR will then intervene if it decides that a foul has been made, but does not have the final say on the matter. The on-field umpire will be sent to a fieldside observer to review the evidence and determine whether or not a foul has been committed.
VAR can also be used to validate whether the on-field referee was right to allow the match to continue.
