Marseilles (AFP)

The Euro, VAR's latest conquest: video refereeing assistance will be used this summer for the first time at a European Nations Championship, three years after being introduced at the 2018 World Cup and then that opinions remain as opposed to the real effectiveness of the device.

UEFA has long resisted before giving in, stuck by strong media pressure in favor of the "video" and by the voluntarism of Fifa and its president Gianni Infantino, who pushed in favor of its adoption, even if it means leading to no charge for the testing phase imposed by the Board.

It was in September 2018 that Aleksander Ceferin, president of UEFA, finally folded, after a World Cup where the VAR was discreet and rather effective, even if the penalty whistled for France in the final after consulting the images recalled that the video could seem fair or unfair, depending on whether you are French or Croatian.

But without going as far as the categorical opposition which has always been that of his predecessor Michel Platini - "a beautiful shit", the former N.10 of the Blues ruled again in November 2019 -, the Slovenian leader has never seemed very convinced.

In December 2019, in an interview with the Mirror, he had pointed out "a real mess", stressing that the instructions were interpreted differently depending on the country.

"Some referees in England do not even check. In Italy, they check for half an hour," he said, however, believing that there was "no turning back possible".

- The gray area -

Patron of the UEFA referees, the Italian Roberto Rosetti wanted to be more reassuring before the opening of the tournament on Friday in Rome.

"We believe in this project, which has worked very well so far," he said, quoted on the website of the European confederation.

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"We insist to the VAR (video assistants, editor's note) on the fact that they must intervene only if a referee made a manifest error or missed a serious incident", he recalled all the same, pointing in hollow l one of the most frequent criticisms of opponents of the device.

"The problem is that it is almost never binary, almost everything is in the gray zone, that of interpretation. The real danger is that we arrive at too much interventionism when it should be. used very rarely ", judges the former French international referee Bruno Derrien, interviewed by AFP.

"There are some clear errors which are corrected, it should not be denied. But for the rest, it creates more controversy than anything else. The operation is not understood despite clear specifications and three years of After three years, it should be oiled, "he also said.

- Live better -

The two French referees selected for the Euro, Stéphanie Frappart and Clément Turpin, however assured last week that everything was crystal clear.

"We have been working for several years on the use of video, we are in good shape," explained Clément Turpin.

"There are no recommendations or instructions on the use of VAR. We remain on the manifest error," said Stéphanie Frappart.

While a survey of English football fans published last week showed that over 90% of them believe the video has made football "less enjoyable", another former French referee, Tony Chapron, invites reflection on the nature of VAR, presented by its supporters as a guarantee of uniformity, consistency and justice.

"It is a philosophical debate, on what sports justice is, on the acceptance of the other and his errors. And this ideal of justice is a delusion. People especially want their team to win", a he told AFP.

"I do not see any positive aspect, nothing. What is obvious is that it did not put an end to the controversies, it rather multiplied them," he added.

"I think we would be honored to admit that we made a mistake. It would be beneficial. We can accept that the other is fallible. Let's do with it, we'll live better."

© 2021 AFP