Five basic principles to make VAR a success

#3 VAR in sport isn't new, VAR in football is new

Video technology now has a huge role in making key decisions in other sports such as tennis

The pressure to bring VAR into the game has largely come from the praise it has received in sports like cricket, tennis and rugby. The difference in these sports is that there are continuous breaks in play that make VAR a practical solution to ensuring the correct decisions are made.

However, the use of VAR in rugby is coming under scrutiny as referees find it increasingly necessary to make decisions via video replay. Any doubt in the mind of the official tends to prompt a review, and while it eradicates errors, it adds to the frustration for all involved.

But football is a very different type of sport, and with counter-attacking action providing huge drama and excitement, we cannot afford to keep stopping play to reconsider decision after decision in search of perfection. Football can use VAR to its advantage, that much is true, but the procedures for making calls in other sports should not be used as a template.

VAR in football is still in its infancy, and it is now football's responsibility to mould it into a system that works, and not let its behaviour in other sports influence how it is finally implemented.