After yesterday’s European football league match between HJK and AS Roma, VAR has been the subject of discussion both at the press conference and widely in the media. In the match that ended in a 2–1 victory for the Romans, HJK’s 2–2 equalizer was disallowed after a video review.
The former top referee, who also condemned the Champions League Mattias Gestranius according to the situation went according to the rules.
– There was a breakdown in the attack that led to the goal. VAR then calls the referee to look at the situation again, the current top referee coach tells Urheilu.
VAR, i.e. Video Assistant Referee, is a video technology aid used in most European countries for referees judging on the field. VAR can be used in four match-changing situations.
VAR stands for Video Assistant Referee. In Finnish, the term video race judge is used.
He supports the work of the referee by making good use of the video footage of the match and communicating with the referee via audio equipment if necessary.
VAR is only used for four match-changing situations: a goal, a penalty kick, a straight red card or a card given to the wrong player.
Veikkausliiga is one of the few leagues in Europe where VAR is not used. According to Gestranius, this is wrong.
– Getting VAR into the Veikkausliiga would be extremely important. If Finnish football respects itself, VAR must be introduced in Finland, he emphasizes.
The economy is holding back implementation
According to Gestranius, apart from Finland, Sweden is the only major football country where VAR is not in use. He says that the matter is already being discussed strongly there as well. For example, Albania, Georgia and Kosovo are countries where VAR is used.
– I understand that the system pays and the money is in strict Finnish football. These countries are not swimming in money either, Gestranius describes.
The price of VAR technology in particular is holding back its introduction in Finland. The price per game rises significantly for the Finnish football club.
– A very rough estimate is that 1,500–2,500 euros per game, Gestranius estimates In the sports magazine (you will switch to another service) last week.
Thus, over the course of the entire season, we are talking about investing tens of thousands of euros.
Gestranius sees the benefits of VAR as significant.
– I claim that with the presence of VAR, fouls, such as holding and pushing, in the penalty area have decreased, because they are caught. VAR fundamentally changes football, especially the defensive game. You can’t do anything in the box because you’ll get caught.
Veikkausliiga differs from several European leagues in this respect.
– Futs without VAR is not top futs. We play a different type of futs than is played in Europe, says Gestranius directly.
CEO of HJK Aki Riihilahti commented after the Roma match that the presence of VAR in European games takes some getting used to.
– We still have learning to do. For the first time, we are in games where VAR is used. Certain fouls that don’t show up in other games are highlighted. That’s also experience, knowing how to play in such games and being able to take advantage of it. However, there is also a human element in getting the referee to go there for a VAR check, Riihilahti analyzed in an interview with Urheilu.
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Gestranius agrees with Riihilahti.
“Ägä” is right about that, that they have to learn to play with it, but it’s difficult if you can only use it in a few funny games a year, Gestranius says.
Finnish referees suffer from the lack of VAR
Gestranius, who trains referees, sees Finnish referees suffering from the lack of VAR in addition to the game itself. For example, who whistled the match between West Ham and Silkebork in the Conference League yesterday and is making a strong ascent in his career Joni Hyytä can’t get to whistling Europe’s biggest club team competitions yet. Uefa expects referees to use VAR technology in their everyday lives, i.e. in league games in their home countries.
– When you go to UEFA games, you don’t go there to train, but then the VAR system is in your “blood”, Gestranius opens.
Finnish referees should be trained to use VAR in Finland.
– It is not possible for Jon to whistle in the Europa League or the Champions League, because VAR is used there and Jon has no VAR training. Uefa no longer trains new players, but they expect you to receive training from your home country, says Gestranius.
VAR is not used in the conference league. For Finnish judges, the situation is difficult in terms of progressing to the top.
– Without VAR, our guys won’t get ahead in the future, Gestranius says.
The referee still has responsibility
The use of VAR has garnered criticism for its non-linearity. In principle, the instructions for its use, for example in checking for defects, are very clear.
– It is made in black and white. If there is a clear fault in the situation, it is whistled away. Uefa has a limit on what to intervene and it is quite high. The violation must be “clear and obvious” in order to be addressed. That is the line they want to be followed, Gestranius opens.
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For example, yesterday by David Browne the situation before the disallowed goal and by Malik Abubakar Rike seemed to many to be something else. Gestranius does not want to take too emphatically a position on the situation in question, because he has only seen a “live picture” from one angle.
– We can discuss whether the protocol needs to be reconsidered for situations like that, because the foul did not have any greater importance in whether the goal was scored. According to current protocol and current rules, the situation went exactly right in my opinion, Gestranius reflects.
For example, when fouls are checked with VAR, it can be difficult to judge the hardness of the contact based on the video. Without VAR or with it, the responsibility ultimately lies with the referee who blows the whistle and makes the decisions on the field. That was also the case yesterday in Töölö.
– VAR didn’t disallow the goal, the referee did, Gestranius emphasizes.
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