Arsenal’s appeal to have the red card given to David Luiz rescinded was rejected, leading to fan outcry for better refereeing throughout the Premier League. Fans from several clubs have taken to social media to voice their dissatisfaction. The Brazilian defender was sent off after a coming together with Wolverhampton Wanderers‘ Willian Jose, even though it appeared that Luiz tried to back out of the challenge.
However, Arsenal today released a statement saying that the red card given to David Luiz will stand. Many fans are disappointed with the outcome, believing that referees are not up to the standard in the Premier League. There is also a call for a change in the way that the Premier League are implementing VAR.
David Luiz Appeal Rejection Leads to Fan Outcry for Better Standard of Refereeing
Low Standard of Refereeing Lead to the Dismissal of David Luiz
One of the reasons VAR was implemented in the first place was to help referees make the right decisions. Time after time clubs were left frustrated when an obvious error was made leading to dropped points. VAR was first introduced during the 2018 World Cup, where it was praised in helping make the right decisions. Since then, it is now used in the Champions League along with many other major league competitions around the world to great effect.
However, it is only in the Premier League where there is a problem with how VAR is being used. The standard of refereeing in England is not up to standard.
The Premier League is the most watched league in the world, filled with the biggest and exciting talent. Yet every week it seems to be the referees who make the headlines instead of the players. This should not be the case and until the standard of referees improves, it will continue to be that way
Confusing Laws Not Helping
David Luiz’s red card was certainly not the first contentious decision made this season. It feels as though there is at least one controversial decision made by referees after every game. However, who should take the blame? Is it the referees who make these decisions? The technology which helps enforce the rules of the game? Or is it the rules themselves?
By the letter of the law, David Luiz should have been sent off. He denied Jose of a clear goal-scoring opportunity while making no attempt to play the ball, which is a red card offence. However, you have to take into account that the reason the Arsenal defender made no attempt to play the ball was because he was trying to pull out of making any sort of challenge at all. If Luiz had slid for the ball and taken out Jose, he would have received only a yellow. This then begs the question of whether the rule should be changed?
VAR Implementation Needs Changing
Everyone agrees that VAR, implemented correctly, benefits everyone in the Premier League. However, in the current way it is used, problems will always occur. Officials are hesitant to change marginal calls in fear of being overruled as they would be seen as being capable of making mistakes. However, this what VAR was introduced to combat. Referees need to let go of their pride in some cases so the right decisions can be made.
Having referees use the screen to aid in making decisions is a step in the right direction, but more needs to be done. If you compare how the TMO (television match official), is used in rugby to VAR in football, the differences are astounding. Being able to hear the dialogue between the referee and the TMO allows for a clearer picture to be shown to fans, players and staff, meaning less confusion. Football needs to follow in rugby’s footsteps to allow a fairer game to played.
The potential VAR has in making football as fair as it can be is huge, but it needs help. The FA need to help referees in understanding all parts of the game. Silly laws such as the one that led to Luiz’s red card need to be rectified. Lastly, VAR needs to be implemented in a way that doesn’t allow for referees pride to get in the way and tweaks need to be made to create less confusion for fans and players alike in the decision-making of referees.
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