China Super League VAR meets Chinese referees
After the four rounds of the Super League, there were a lot of people robbing the show and a lot of things. But if you have to discuss a seat, VAR says second, no one can compete for first.
The VAR system infinitely magnifies the details of the stadium through live multi-camera playback.
No way, VAR is too "dazzling" on the field.
Under what circumstances should video playback be watched? What ball should the referee personally watch the playback to judge? Different referees use VAR in different standards? Do you have to wait a long time for an offside ball decision? Many question marks surrounding the heads of the fans are rapidly accumulating in rounds of fierce battles.
I have to admit that VAR has already influenced the results of some games in the Super League. What's more serious is that the net length of the game split by VAR is also deeply affected. The fluency of the game has been reduced, shaking the viewership of the Super League.
So, who should give this pot to carry?
Qian Jie gave a controversial foul in the match between Shanghai Shenhua and Dalian.
Since being introduced to the Super League last season, VAR has caused a lot of controversy. In fact, it can be understood from another way of thinking that the unlovable role played by the referees in the Super League was not saved by VAR. The new system has not convinced competitors. What is more embarrassing is that the game is becoming "fragmented" because of VAR.
In the last round of the match between Hebei Huaxia and Chongqing Dangdai, VAR intervened four times and almost "replaced" the referee's personal judgment when making key penalties... And this round of Shenhua's focus with Dalian people, referee Fu Ming A decision at the last moment made him the most focused figure on the court.
The Dalian people drew with Shenhua 2:2 with this penalty.
Before the final whistle, Shenhua maintained a 2:1 lead. However, Fu Ming pointed his hand to the twelve yard point after the Dalian people attacked the penalty area.
Slow motion shows that although Qian Jie gave Long Dong physical contact, it was more like a "body foul", which seemed to be a bit far-fetched. In the end, the Dalian people got out of danger with this penalty, and Shenhua also lost a three-pointer that he had almost obtained.
Shenhua was convicted of a foul in the penalty area. The player asked the referee Fu Ming to watch the VAR replay in person, but the latter refused.
After the penalty kick was awarded, Fu Ming insisted not to watch VAR's actions and pushed him to the forefront. There are even people who "turned up old accounts", thinking of the scene of "Internet violence" because he refused to give Luneng a penalty last season.
In the eyes of some fans, with VAR assistance, there are still "unfair" penalties. Fu Ming whistles whether the level of the game meets professional standards, it seems to be a question mark.
Last season, Shandong Luneng drew with Henan Jianye 2:2, Fu Ming blew out Luneng's lore goal.
However, judging from the revised terms and descriptions of the "Football Competition Rules" issued by the Chinese Football Association for the 2020-21 season, there is nothing about the need to watch VAR when penalties are awarded. At the same time, the Football Association requires referees not to rely too much on VAR to speed up the efficiency of the penalty.
It is not difficult to see that in the Chinese Super League guidelines, constantly improving the level of local referees, allowing them to adhere to their judgments more decisively, and reducing their dependence on VAR is the direction for future development.
Fu Ming's penalty comes from his personal decision. Perhaps from the perspective of God after the game, this penalty has influenced the outcome of the game, but this is in line with the Super League's requirements and encouragement for referees. Moreover, by listening to the VAR referee's reminder through headphones, Fu Ming received the first feedback, and the information obtained made him not change his decision.
On July 25th, the 2020 Chinese Football Association Super League (Suzhou Division) kicked off the opening match. In the end, Wuhan Zall (orange top) defeated Qingdao Huanghai Qinggang (white top) 2-0. Photo by China News Agency reporter Yang Bo
According to official data, the average net game time in the first three rounds of this season is 50 minutes and 32 seconds, which is a significant "shrink" compared to 52 minutes and 29 seconds in the same period last season. Among the games over 60 minutes, only Henan Jianye and Guangzhou R&F played. Comparing the match between Hebei Huaxia Fortune and Chongqing Dangdai, the net match time was only 42 minutes and 49 seconds, less than half of the regular 90-minute match time.
There are opinions on the Internet that this is inseparable from the involvement of VAR.
In some games, the time to wait for the VAR judgment result seems to be a bit long, and there may be room for further simplification in the communication between the referee and the video assistant referee.
In the match between Yongchang and Tianjin, the net time reached 56 minutes. Image source: Chinese Super League official Weibo
After Fu Ming’s controversial penalty, the Suzhou Division played four more games, with net time ranging from 48 points to 56 points. At least on the key data that represents the integrity of the game, the Super League is picking up.
Regardless of referees or players, at the beginning of the league restart, it is difficult to immediately adjust the state to 100%. Both sides need to buffer, and the Super League also needs a process of recovery. In general, the controversy encountered in the first three rounds is gradually decreasing in the fourth round. This improvement is not only reflected in the reduction of penalties for disputes.
The picture shows the 2018 Russia World Cup final. In the match between France and Croatia, the French team won a penalty through VAR. Griezmann made a penalty for the team to exceed the score. Photo by China News Agency reporter Mao Jianjun
For a league, long-term stability and uniform standards are the most basic guarantee. Below this, VAR can play an auxiliary role. Looking at the world, even after World Cup and Champions League level events, disputes due to VAR have occurred from time to time. Among them are the most experienced and well-known referees in world football.
In this way, the handling of VAR seems to have little to do with the professionalism of referees. If every penalty on the court seeks "absolute fairness", the number of "timeouts" in the game will be very exaggerated. And keeping the game smooth is one of the referee's tasks, which is why VAR cannot completely replace the referee.
It is not a bad thing for local referees to increase their confidence in judgments and dare to make decisions at critical moments of the game. And most of the growth is accompanied by pain, and those pains inevitably fall on the "Shenhua" people. They deserve their share of the military medal. (Author Zhang Yifan)