It feels as though every week sees a 10% increase in the amount of football punditry devoted to refereeing decisions and, more specifically, VAR.
VAR has taken up an almost Fawlty Towers 'Don't mention the war'-esque presence in the modern footballing landscape. It has gone beyond marmite and deepened the tribalism of football fanbases, riled up old-fashioned pundits, and drawn the ire of just about every football fan at one stage or another.
Other sports, such as rugby, tennis, and every major American league, have clearly shown the benefits of video or digital assistance in modern officiating. It just has not clicked in soccer yet and it feels as though the attitude towards VAR worsens with every passing season.
Perhaps it is no surprise. This season has seen the Premier League periodically release TV specials hosted by PGMOL chief Howard Webb and, for some reason, Michael Owen, in which the pair break down contentious VAR calls with the aid of the audio from the ref mics.
(For those who have spent the season wondering, PGMOL stands for Professional Game Match Officials Limited)
The latest batch took in one of the most divisive calls of the season, as Webb and Owen dissected Antony Taylor's decision to send off Aston Villa's Jhon Duran for an apparent stamp on Newcastle's Fabian Schaer.
Whatever your opinion on the red card, this incident more than any perhaps sums up the standard of officiating in the Premier League, and the utterly confused role of VAR within that system.
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New footage draws VAR decision-making into question
The festive period saw Newcastle take hugely impressive back-to-back wins against Aston Villa and Manchester United. Their 3-0 home win over Villa was aided by a controversial early red card for the visitors' star man Jhon Duran.
PGMOL have now released the discussion between the match officials as the decision was made. It is utterly farcical.
Listen to the audio from VAR for Jhon Durán's red card against Newcastle 🔉 pic.twitter.com/aVFgz0Gt3Z
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 8, 2025
Referee Anthony Taylor (referred to as 'Tayls' by his fellow officials) is standing at least 20 yards away from the action as the crucial contact occurs.
Both Taylor's fourth official and linesman agree that the stamping contact from Duran is accidental, with the linesman recommending a caution.
Almost 30 seconds after the incident, having heard the recommendations of both of his assistants, Taylor appears to make an instinctive call to send off Duran as he sees Schaer holding the inside of his leg, rather than the back - as was reported by the linesman.
The full transcript of the interaction is remarkable to read.
Taylor: "Tackle"
Assistant Referee 2: "Ok, so..."
Fourth Official: "It looks accidental from here."
AR2: "Tayls, I've got..."
Taylor: "What?"
AR2: "Duran steps on the back. For me, it's a reckless act rather than anything more. He's sort of trying to stop and then lands in the wrong place. So, Duran caution."
(Pause)
Taylor: "Hang on, he's holding somewhere else here."
Assistant Referee 1: "He's holding between his legs."
Taylor: "I'm going red card."
VAR: "OK, we've got a red card on-field."
Taylor: "Nowhere near the ball."
It may be true that Taylor was stood closer to the action than his linesman and fourth official but there are several mitigating factors to contend with.
Firstly, Taylor takes almost half a minute to make his decision, suggesting he has not clearly seen the incident. This is backed up by the fact that the referee appears to base his decision on the part of the body Schaer is holding.
Furthermore, even if his two assistants are positioned further away, both immediately cast doubt on the reckless nature of the incident while Taylor mulls over his decision. That the referee appears to immediately disregard these decisions and scale the decision up to a red is arguably as reckless as he seemed to believe Duran's challenge to be.
Referees nowadays can be guilty of deferring too much to VAR and hesitating to make on-field calls. This is not one of those incidents.
There is reasonable doubt over the intention of Duran and, by immediately awarding a red card, Taylor has put the onus on the VAR room to overturn his decision rather than recommending a review with a better view of the incident.
Almost as damning as Taylor's poor process is that followed by those on VAR duty. The officials in Stockley Park quickly check the incident from only one close up angle, confirming the red card within just 45 seconds.
If there had been more patience from any of the crucial officials involved, one could have analysed the angle from behind the incident which showed Duran losing his footing on his left leg before his right boot made contact with Schaer.
Whether or not it was a red card is irrelevant here. The VAR could have checked the incident for two minutes after Taylor awarding a caution and still come to the conclusion that a red card was warranted. It was, objectively, a tight call to make, and one could fairly argue that Duran deserved to be sent off.
The issue lies in the entire process being fundamentally flawed. From minute one, communication is sorely lacking across the board, with Taylor seeming to sweep by the advice of his assistants before the VAR crew cruise through their check with little discussion.
PGMOL hoped that releasing the VAR ref mic tapes would improve the football-viewing public's trust in the video assistant. However, when the clips shared are as shambolic as that of the Jhon Duran incident, it's hard to see how the average VAR-denier will be won over.
Football must move with the times, and video assistance is here to stay. However, based on the evidence of these incidents, it simply cannot stay like this.
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