VAR is stupid

Professional sport is portrayed as being the pinnacle of human physical ability. I call BS. Sport is entertainment. And professional sport is professional entertainment. There is no evolutionary advantage for millions of people sit down to watch 22 grown men chase a ball. We do it because it entertains us.

In the past week, I've attended the world cup in Qatar, and I've seen multiple occasions where 50,000 people in a stadium celebrated a goal only to see it disallowed 90 seconds later because someone's toe was slightly offside. Like pavlovian dogs, it's a matter of time before we stop celebrating goals in the moment, till VAR confirms that there was no breach of rules. And in that world, the entertainment value of sport is significantly damaged.

Until VAR can be instantaneous (like goal-line technology) football would be better off without it. Even when it is instantaneous, I’m not sure it would be a superior choice. Banter over bad refereeing decisions is part of the fun.

Just because we can, doesn’t mean we should.