You sabi as football dey play for Naija? E get as dem dey use VAR matter confuse person. Wetin we dey hear now be say VAR errors don rise like waistline after wetin we eat for chop party this new season.
According to BBC Sport, they talk say VAR wahala don increase by 30% dis season small small. From just 10 errors last year, we don jump enter 13 errors this year. But make we no forget say, if we look how e be for past seasons, na so e dey improve for di referees wey dey run the show.
No be small improvement as last year na 20 errors we notice, and di year before dat na 23. Na so VAR dey show say dem wan make di show better. But wetin we dey see now be say many of di errors na dem wey dem miss to intervene, wey don jump from seven to eleven dis time.
No be say all na wahala, inside di errors wey dey include two wrong interventions wey don reduce. But dis season, total overturns of decisions don drop from 57 to 47. Na wetin be di reason for dis drop? Na wah!
The KMI Panel dey meet every week to check di decisions wey come from goals to penalties to red cards. Dem big boys wey dey inside na three former players and coaches, plus one obongue person from Premier League and one person from PGMO. Na dem dey shake di table anytime referees blow nonsense.
Dem come dey check wetin referees dey do on field, and dem sabi say sometimes, VAR go dey high with im standard for ‘clear and obvious’ — meaning sometimes dem go fit see di referee don turn dem eye away but dem go decide no need to intervene. Na so dem dey talk say no be every case wey fit enter dem sight. E no easy!
One example, sharp sharp, na wetin happen to Marcos Senesi. Di ball hit im arm wey he no mean am but na him carry am away when e see say Hugo Ekitike dey run go goal. Referee no show am card, but VAR still throway di matter. Na true that!
Another case wey dem talk involve Josh King wey score come dey rub hands for di goal, but issue don show as dem no check correct foul wey happen during di build-up, turning wetin supposed be goal into no goal! Di kind errors dey make mad people don dey vex for pitchside and fans dey complain.
Down di line, we see cases where VAR no gree show love for penalties wey dey fall out e.g. Hugo Bueno and Nathan Collins too, as VAR dey hold ground say e no clear enuff for intervention. Di matter dey scatter everywhere for social media as fans dey shout say VAR dey do dem gana.
Now as dis season dey move on, we go dey watch how dem go fit fix dis wahala and improve for di remaining matches ahead. Na only time go tell whether dem go fit carry di error down like dem dey carry di complete chai for Naija pot!
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