BY GRAHAM DUNBAR
Video reviews in soccer were meant to take no more than six seconds. Now they can last close to six minutes.
It was expected to happen once every four or five games. Now it can be four or five times in just one game.
Reviewing refereeing decisions has come a long – and increasingly unloved – way from the VAR (video assistant referee) project first trialed by FIFA in 2016.
On Monday, a chaotic 4-1 loss for Tottenham against Chelsea fueled fears the English Premier League has got lost applying the high-tech aid to help referees make right calls.
Two days earlier, Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta lashed out at “an absolute disgrace” to allow Newcastle a decisive goal after a triple-layered VAR review.
It is likely true Premier League match officials and the protocol they use are the biggest problem, not the VAR system overall which won
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