Does VAR cause anxiety and stress among top Scottish footballers and fans?

I was briefly quoted in an article in the Daily Record at the weekend about a new academic study that sought the views of some of Scotland’s Premiership players about VAR and its impact on them individually.

Now it must be said that this is a VERY academic study.  To give you an idea, here’s some of what the paper includes…

“VAR is a socio-technical system that influences the game, shaped by existing social structures, individual agency, and ongoing adaptation (Nagle et al., 2024). While technology is commonly perceived to enhance accuracy and fairness in officiating (Dufner et al., 2023), its misuse has also given rise to feelings of conspiracy and distrust (Bertin et al., 2023).”

Yes, I know what you’re thinking, and it probably rhymes with rollocks. Nonetheless, academic studies and indeed the kind of research that I have carried out in the past can be useful, particularly when they are a gauge of public opinion.  This one is not, although it must also be noted that almost all opinion/poll studies that I have seen suggest fans do not like VAR. Anecdotal evidence from all over the world tends to confirm this in my opinion.

As a St Johnstone fan, the only upside to relegation is that this season we are not subject to VAR.  In the Championship, a quick glance at the Assistant Referee to see if his/her flag has been raised is all that is required before going bonkers. Celebrating without the wait is much better and my own anxiety and stress have been considerably reduced this season (although my stress and anxiety last season was more to do with St Johnstone being relegated than any one VAR decision).  Players stress tends to be related to missing or losing goals, so it's unsurprising that this study finds a link to VAR as that's what it's primarily here for... Moreover, players do like to have something or somebody to blame and VAR can be a convenient scapegoat, especially if you failed to cut out the cross that led to the handball that led to the VAR intervention.

That said, even though I and many others may not like it, it's clear that VAR is not going away. But, and it’s a big but, it can and must be improved, expecially by making better use of technology.

More specifically, what I want is technology to advance to the stage where several key areas of the laws can be decided more or less instantly.  That's what causes most grief amongst fans in my opinion. The most obvious of these is offside.  AI is advancing like a hurricane sweeping over our economy.  If - and it should be sooner than later – we can get technology to allow the linesman/woman to get a decision in their earpiece as the play is in motion and then put up their flag, that’s offside sorted - permanently.  The media won’t like it as it removes the controversy on which they thrive. The only question is where to draw to line, literally, in terms of how much of the attacker’s body can be offside.  This needs clarification, because as fans we want goals but we also want fairness.  A toe or an elbow makes no difference in my view: what does make a difference is the fitness, strength and, crucially, speed of the attacking player. One attacker can be level with the defender but then outpace him once the play continues, another might not. This, of course, also applies when the defender is the faster of the two.  So, the overriding principle of offside, namely that to be in an offside position confers an unfair advantage, is not dependent on the exact position of the attacker and defender.  Consequently, I’d suggest that the technology is based on a clear space being visible between the two players. However, and this is another big but, this would cost money, which is not somethign there is an abundance of in Scottish football. No-one said it is easy.

There are, of course, other areas where VAR intervenes, most notably around the handball law for penalties. But that’s for another day.  The message here is simple: technology has frequently improved football in many ways (the cross-bar and goal-nets for example), so let’s make the most of it. By getting these simple things right, we’ll naturally reduce the stress that players are allegedly feeling. 

In the meantime, try (it’s hard at times, I know) to cut our referees some slack. They are playing to the laws and the advice handed down from IFAB. Like a player missing an open goal, they do get it wrong sometimes.  They did in the past and they will in the future, whether there is VAR or not.  That – and, more importantly, the fact that our own teams and managers get it wrong just as often if not more than our refs – is what makes football the game we love.

Alastair Blair

Operations Director, The SFU