E-Paper
Pune’s EPL official supporters’ clubs VARy confident this season
Official fan clubs of the top 5 EPL sides (sorry Spurs), got round a table at their common viewing ground Aufside, to talk transfers, club beliefs, expectations and winning the Premier League
Video Assistant Referee (VAR) good or bad?
Man Utd’s admin Yash Mota thinks VAR kills the momentum of the game. “After scoring a dubious goal, players have to wait for minutes to find out if the goal counted or not,” he says. According to the Liverpool president, Nikhil Nikam, it is good that the Premier League has adapted the technology.
Nikam specifies that despite being a tad time consuming, VAR will eradicate situations where fans would crib over a controversial foul or a goal which was wrongly judged by the referee. “The challenge is to maintain a balance between making the correct decisions and not killing the momentum,” he says.
City president, Om Pandya, welcomes the Premier League’s decision to adapt VAR this season. “The title race last season was quite close between Manchester City and Liverpool. No one wants to see a team winning the Premier League thanks to a few unfair points. With the inclusion of VAR, no team will gain unfair advantage,” is his view.
“Technology is always disruptive,” says Arsenal’s Dheeraj Shah but he too thinks that VAR is positive. “In about five years, VAR could be the most important aspect in the game. It would also save the match officials from the barrage of negative comments from fans, players and coaches,” says Shah.
The technology is being welcomed, but the fans need some clarity on the subject, according to Nikam. Clarity regarding the circumstances in which the referee can opt for a review or when he decides not to opt for it. There was confusion amongst the fans when a few referees did not opt for a review in the UEFA Champions League last season, but the fans will get used to it once it becomes a regular element of the game. 
