The altered character of VAR, altered a beautiful football story
It would be one of the greatest moments in FA Cup history. Coventry City, a lower division team than Manchester United, came back from a 3-0 deficit in the semi-final at "Wembley" and were… one inch away from the big final, at the 120th minute. VAR decided correctly. As the offense stands, it was offside. However, this is a decision of the altered character of technology, of the alteration of a wonderful "fairy tale"...
By KONSTANTINOS ZALIARIS
It was the moment when the United players fell to the ground in disbelief that they had suffered this major setback this season.
Coventry achieved the ultimate upset in the last minute of extra time, they made it 4-3, the blue side of "Wembley" was filled with unspeakable happiness, however, the joy would be cut short. Not without reason, since we have to accept that this is how things are now with the use of technology and that is why VAR exists to offer help to referees for difficult decisions.
And that of Coventry's fourth goal was indeed one of the most difficult, since the lines had to be drawn at full zoom to see if and by what extent the boot of the attacking footballer of the "sky blues" was ahead of Wan-Bissaka.
The help of VAR, as we learned it when this particular measure of technology penetrated the top level of football, was for the big and glaring errors of the referee on the pitch. For those that no one could dispute. For those that constitute the bad moment of the referee and his assistants and the VAR must intervene to correct the situation.
Yes, it has happened before to be offside by millimeters, by the tip of a shoe, and it takes several minutes for the lines and measurements and everything that happens on the screens.
However, the case of the Coventry goal makes even more noticeable the fact that now somewhere the measure may be lost with the use of VAR and the examination of such phases that perhaps whoever you ask, will consider it a distortion. As the initial explanation of what VAR is, how and when it will be useful…
Clearly we live in a time when life, football and everything has to evolve and evolve alongside people, accepting each next level. But let's not lose the romance of the sport...
