VAR is not damaging football, says FIFA President Infantino
Dec 05, 2020
Zurich [Switzerland], December 5 : FIFA President Gianni Infantino has backed the use of Video Assistant Referee (VAR), saying that the technology is not damaging the sport.
VAR has consistently been a topic of debate among football pundits and it has been repeatedly questioned whether the technology is hampering the game.
"We have to remember VAR was introduced for the first time two years ago, not 20 years ago. VAR is helping football, it's certainly not damaging football," Goal.com quoted Infantino as saying.
After a meeting of the FIFA Council, Infantino also stressed that VAR is a new technology and it needs to be given time to make the game better.
"We must not make a confusion between VAR and maybe sometimes wrong decisions which are taken because of the wrong way in which VAR is used, maybe in some places because of the lack of experience of those who are using VAR," said Infantino.
"We have to take the pulse of what is happening out there, to take the criticism and analyse them. VAR is not an obligation, it's there to help," Infantino continued. "Those who don't want to use it, they are not obliged to use it. It helped referees in the World Cup, it helps referees in many competitions and players and coaches agree," he added.
Last week, Liverpool vice-captain James Milner had said that he is falling out of love because of the VAR technology. He has also called for a serious discussion about the use of VAR in the Premier League.
"It is clear and obvious we need a serious discussion about VAR. Sure I am not alone in feeling like they are falling out of love with the game in its current state," Milner had tweeted.
Milner's remark had come as Liverpool looked set to claim all three points against Brighton. However, the Reds were denied the full three points as Andy Robertson appeared to catch Brighton forward Danny Welbeck inside the box when he attempted a clearance. The referee checked the footage and subsequently awarded Brighton a penalty.
Pascal Gross then converted to ensure the sides shared the points in a 1-1 draw.
