With VAR causing controversy in male domestic leagues and competitions around the world, it made me think – why not the women’s game?
I’ve had multiple debates with myself about whether its absence in the Women’s Super League (WSL) is a bad thing; if VAR is now being written into the laws of the men’s game, then surely we should have it too? But then I came to the conclusion of: ‘Keep it, we don’t want it!’
Amidst its absence not being missed it made me wonder, is there a particular reason the WSL and other women’s domestic leagues don’t have such policies in place?
A lack of resources perhaps? Casey Stoney, the Manchester United Ladies manager, expressed her belief to the BBC that women’s football can “spend its money on far better things than VAR,” later suggesting: “I don’t think we’ll ever see it. I don’t think we’ll ever be resourced for it because there’s not the money in game.
In 2019, the Women’s World Cup put VAR to the test for the first time in women’s football and it dominated proceedings. Goalkeepers tended to be in the firing line as Chiamaka Nnadozie (Nigeria), Sydney Schneider (Jamaica) and Lee Alexander (Scotland) were all penalised for stepping off their line during penalties, forcing retakes and causing uproar around the world. The men’s game has also seen an array of judgements made which have changed the results on a dramatic scale, so do we really need the hassle?
The drama of football and the fact that a referee can make a mistake shows they are human. Sitting in the crowd and celebrating a goal is a very unique feeling, so why should we have to wait two minutes to see if it grazed a player’s fingernail on the way in?
Stoney told how she was keen to see the introduction of goal line technology: “It’s black and white, and you know if it’s in or out. It can win or lose you a game or keep you in your job, so I would like to see that in the women’s game.”
On all levels I agree with Stoney. VAR, in my opinion, has killed football’s soul and has proven incapable of making the correct call in many incidents. Let’s keep it away from the women’s game. We don’t need it; we just need the joy and passion to remain prominent in our sport, which makes it so unique.
What do you think?
