By 90min | Created at 2025-01-11 15:03:21 | Updated at 2025-01-11 17:49:16
2 hours ago
VAR dominates the football discourse most weeks and its usage in the FA Cup for the 2024/25 campaign has garnered much attention as third round fixtures are played.
The technology has been part of FA Cup process since 2017/18 but has been banished from the third round for the current campaign, renewing discussion over VAR in England's oldest cup competition.
But why has VAR been abolished in the third round of the FA Cup?
VAR is not in use in the FA Cup third round / Mike Hewitt/GettyImages
The FA have made amendments to their implementation of VAR in this year's competition, with the technology now only being used from the fifth round onwards.
Previously, VAR was employed in the third and fourth round of the competition, but only used at Premier League grounds. On one hand it made sense as top-flight stadiums already had the technology in place, but it created an imbalance as different matches within the same round of the competition ultimately 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 utilised for every match in the Fifth Round of the competition through to the Final at Wembley Stadium, and will not be in operation for the Third and Fourth Rounds.
"VAR has only been used in the Emirates FA Cup previously for matches at Wembley Stadium and at Premier League grounds due to the infrastructure, workforce and costs that are required for its operation.
"This decision ensures that there is a consistent refereeing approach for all clubs taking part in the same stage of the competition."
When is VAR put to use?
Pitchside monitors help referees review whether or not an error has been made / DARREN STAPLES/GettyImages
VAR is not able to intervene in all scenarios, essentially because there's a reluctance for matches to be, for all intents and purposes, re-refereed. West Ham United would not have felt the benefit of VAR in their defeat to Aston Villa on Friday night, for example, because the fact referee Tim Robinson wrongly awarded the Villans a corner does not fall into the four permitted categories.
VAR can intervene in a match for the following situations, with their remit being that they are attempting to prevent the on-field referee from making a clear and obvious error.
The on-field referee makes the initial call, in conjunction with their two assistants running the touchline (if necessary). VAR will then interfere if they determine a mistake has been made, but they do not have the final say in the matter. The on-field referee will be sent to a pitch-side monitor to review the evidence and determine whether or not an error has been made.
VAR may also be used to validate if an on-field referee was right in letting a game continue.
