Has VAR become a lottery at the World Cup?

Has VAR become a lottery at the World Cup?Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Germany took the lead against Ecuador in the second minute after the VAR opted not to interveneByDale JohnsonFootball issues correspondentPublished2 minutes agoCommentsJust a few days ago, people were asking whether the video assistant referee system was being used differently at the World Cup.Now, after a week of strange decisions, fans seem confused about when the VAR is going to get involved. From Ghana's penalty claim against England, to Brazil's disallowed goal against Scotland and Germany's opener versus Ecuador, it has been difficult to guess what the video official is going to do.VAR at the World Cup so far is running along similar numbers to the Premier League.In England last season there was 0.29 interventions a game, at the World Cup it is 0.28.On subjective interventions, when the referee has to go the monitor, the Premier League had 0.15 per match and the World Cup stands at 0.17.The longer the World Cup goes on, the more it shows just how difficult it is to have a consistently high bar with VAR.Pierluigi Collina, Fifa's head of referees, believes that football is a contact sport, and that not all contact is a foul. He wants to see free-flowing games at a higher tempo at this World Cup.If you let more strong challenges go on the pitch, then the VAR has to adjust accordingly. And the sweet spot for a clear and obvious error is harder to hit.It is a problem the Premier League has struggled to solve. 'I'm shocked that it wasn't reviewed'Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Ghana were denied a penalty which would have given them the chance to take the lead in their 0-0 draw with EnglandOther competitions have a lower bar for VAR, and the video officials get involved more often.That creates a cloak of consistency, because people expect interventions, but it does not necessarily mean VAR is being used as originally intended, for the r...