'VAR has to rein its neck in' - how I'd change football for the fans

"There's a reason legendary former Liverpool manager Bill Shankly once proclaimed football was 'the people's game' - and that's because it belongs to the fans. Today's supporters spend enormous amounts of their hard-earned money buying season tickets, and shirts for their children, and on travelling up and down the country to support their team. That's why, when I was asked to give my views on what I would change to improve football today, I have not tried to reinvent anything."

"Television has transformed our national game in the past few decades, markedly for the better. It has pumped enormous amounts of money into facilities and enabled clubs to attract some of the most gifted players in world football, but it is the intensive TV coverage and its forensic analysis and wall-to-wall punditry debates that led to the birth of VAR."

"VAR was brought in to rectify clear and obvious refereeing mistakes like Diego Maradona's infamous 'Hand of God' goal against England - or Thierry Henry's handball that led to France's decisive goal against the Republic of Ireland in a play-off for the 2010 World Cup. If it was used in the right way - for incidents like those where there is absolutely no debate - VAR would be a wonderful invention."

More than 50 years of involvement in football show many on-field and off-field changes. Football belongs to fans who spend large sums on tickets, shirts, and travel. VAR was introduced to correct clear and obvious refereeing errors such as Diego Maradona's 'Hand of God' and Thierry Henry's handball that cost Ireland World Cup qualification. Television money and intensive coverage enabled clubs to attract top players but also created forensic analysis and punditry that led to VAR's creation. VAR is valuable when limited to indisputable incidents, but current practice elevates referees and VAR above the match. Referees' visibility has increased through microphones and chest-mounted cameras, intensifying scrutiny and altering the fan experience.

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