Why referees hate VAR just as much as you do: 'It felt like the walls were closing in'

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DraftBracketAlabamaArizonaArkansasDukeFloridaGonzagaHoustonIllinoisIowaIowa StateKansasLouisvilleMiami (FL)Michigan StateMichiganNebraskaPurdueSt. John'sTennesseeTexasTexas TechUConnVanderbiltVirginiaWisconsinPeakMMAHomeMotorsportsHomePodcastsNASCARCultureHomeMemorabilia & CollectiblesGamingHomeSports BettingHomeFantasy FootballOddsNFL PicksThe Masters Design: Kelsea Petersen/The Athletic; Photos: Paul Ellis/Getty Images, Ryan Pierce/Getty Images Share full articleGraham Scott refereed in the Premier League for a decade before retiring in 2025 to return to his previous career as a journalist. He was a video assistant referee more than 100 times and brings a unique insight into how officials operate, both on the pitch and in the video booth. You can read his first piece here explaining why he has joined The Athletic.  The ball was bundled into the net at the far post and the visiting supporters went wild. An upset was on the cards, and their team could be on the way to Wembley for their first FA Cup semi-final in almost 40 years. While the celebrations continued, I was sitting 136 miles away, in a dark corner of a TV studio in west London, fearing the worst. As the video assistant referee (VAR), I had spotted three potential offences in the build-up and knew I would be cast as a killjoy if any of them had to be penalised. There was one possible offside from the initial cross, a second if the ball had been flicked on in the next phase, followed by doubt over whether the Coventry City striker had scored with his arm. As I worked through the checks, it felt like the walls were closing in, the darkness was intensifying, and my mouth was getting drier while my heartbeat rose. In 20 years as a referee on the pitch, I never felt the kind of pressure that goes with being a VAR. Rather than making a single judgement based on one view in real time, I was now poring over two screens inches from my face that were showing five angles, with the option to play at full, half, or even quarter speed. Referees considered not using slow-motion pictures and freeze frames when VAR was rolled out, but were aware that the media would use them to suit their purposes, especially if they suggested a mistake had been made. In this particular cup tie, the three checks took almost four minutes. This was not a desperate attempt to find a reason to chalk off the goal, as some fans would have you believe, but a quest for the truth. The longer it went on, the more I could hear frustrated fans from both teams voicing their anger at how long I was taking. Players were surrounding the referee, asking him what was going on, only to discover he was as oblivious as everyone else on the pitch and in the stadium. At the time, offside decisions always took ages to reach because Premier League clubs’ quest for consistency meant VARs had to go through a process that was as painstaking as it was painful. The “clear and obvious” threshold does not apply because most offsides are a matter of fact, not opinion, and there are no shortcuts. If a VAR bails out of a check after one look at each angle, and later discovers another proves they were wrong, there is hell to pay. The introduction of semi-automated technology has not made much difference, as there is still a protocol to follow that can take longer than the goal celebrations and spark doubt in the stands. And as we discovered during a seven-minute check at Bournemouth in the FA Cup last season, and a similar delay at Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup this year, the new system does not always work in a crowded penalty area, where there can be doubt about who played the ball and when. Eventually, more than three minutes after the Coventry goal had been scored against Wolves at Molineux, I confirmed that it could stand. It had felt like a waste of everyone’s time, that a joyous and spontaneous moment had been ruined by a nerd desperate to find cause to wreak misery. Nothing could be further from the truth. Referees are people, too, and feel the pain inflicted by a video review system that is simply not fit for purpose. We take no pleasure in disallowing goals because a player’s forehead, kneecap or big toe is too far advanced in the build-up. We hate standing around getting cold and wet while a colleague conducts a forensic analysis of a poorly timed tackle or potential penalty.  Naturally, we are relieved when a grievous error is corrected, because none of us wants to be responsible for such an injustice, especially if it affects the result. But none of the Premier League’s refs or growing cohort of specialist VARs revel in the role of party pooper. Despite what some would have you believe, we know the game is not about us. All our measures of success are a positive spin on a negative metric: avoiding error, staying off the radar, and keeping our heads below the parapet. We would much rather blend into the background, let the players be the stars, and for our matches to pass without controversy. In their semi-final against Manchester United, Coventry came back from 3-0 down to level at 3-3, and a potentially winning goal in the final minute of extra time was awarded on-field. However, the video review found that one of their players strayed offside by the narrowest of margins in the build-up. Inevitably, the VAR was cast as the villain, but it was the offside law and its application that were to blame. The price being paid for greater accuracy feels far too high, especially for those who pay for their tickets and create the atmosphere that helps elevate the Premier League above its competitors. If we must use technology, then we have to find a way to bring fans within the stadium into the process by showing them that process, just as other sports have done successfully. The outcomes will still cause dispute, but at least everyone in the ground — including the referee — will know what the hell is going on. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Graham Scott refereed in the Premier League for a decade before retiring in 2025 to return to his previous career as a journalist. He was a video assistant referee more than 100 times and brings a unique insight into how officials operate, both on the pitch and in the video booth.