VAR dominates football discourse most weeks and its use in the FA Cup for the 2024/25 season has attracted a lot of attention as the third round matches are played.
The technology has been part of the FA Cup process since 2017/18 but has been excluded from the third round for the current season, renewing the debate over VAR in England's oldest cup competition.
But why was VAR removed in the third round of FA Cup?
The FA has made changes to their implementation of VAR in this year's competition, with the technology now only used from the fifth round onwards.
Previously, VAR was used in the third and fourth rounds of the competition, but was only used in Premier Leaguethe base. On the one hand, it made sense as top-tier stadiums already had the technology in place, but it created an imbalance as different matches within the same round of the competition had different rules.
From 2024/25 onwards, VAR will be used across the board in the fifth round, regardless of venue, creating a fairer ecosystem within the competition.
In a statement about their decision, the FA said: “It has been agreed that VAR will be used for every match in the fifth round of the competition up to the final at Wembley Stadium, and will not be in effect for the third and fourth. Round.
“VAR has only been used in the Emirates FA Cup previously for matches at Wembley Stadium and Premier League grounds due to the infrastructure, manpower and costs required to operate it.
“This decision ensures that there is a consistent refereeing approach for all clubs participating in the same stage of the competition.”
VAR is unable to intervene in all scenarios, essentially because there is a reluctance for matches to, for all intents and purposes, be redirected. West Ham United wouldn't have felt the benefit of VAR in their loss to Aston Villa on Friday night, for example, because referee Tim Robinson wrongly awarded a Villans corner does not fall into the four allowed categories.
VAR can intervene in a match for the following situations, with their responsibility being that they are trying to prevent the on-field referee from making a clear and obvious error.
The on-field referee makes the initial call, along with their two assistants running the touchline (if necessary). VAR will then intervene if they determine a foul has been made, but they do not have the final say on the matter. The umpire on the court will be sent to a courtside monitor to review the evidence and determine whether or not a foul has been committed.
VAR can also be used to prove whether an on-field referee was right to allow a game to continue.