David Elleray Defends Var but Accepts It Has Damaged Football's Flow

David Elleray Defends Var but Accepts It Has Damaged Football's Flow
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David Elleray Defends Var but Accepts It Has Damaged Football's Flow

David Elleray Defends Var but Accepts It Has Damaged Football's Flow

David Elleray has admitted VAR has “had an impact on the flow of the game” but says that will have to be accepted as the game prioritizes getting the “right decision”.

The former referee, in his role as the technical director of the rule-making International Football Association Board (Ifab), has been at the heart of developing VAR as an aid to referees in eliminating “clear and obvious errors” from the game.

Although Elleray believes that the technology has “broadly benefited football” and points to a number of successes, each VAR decision takes time – Premier League matches regularly experience breaks that last for minutes – and that is unlikely to change.

“It’s clear that football is fairer, but it’s also clear that VAR has had an impact on the flow of the game,” Elleray said. “If you are going to stop the game to look at a replay that involves a stop in the flow of the game.

“Very early on in the VAR discussions people said maybe you should put a time limit on how long reviews should be but that would be to undermine the purpose of VAR, which is to deal with a clear and obvious error.

“If we said you can only take 30 seconds, then sometimes you need to look at different angles. What we normally say is that the longer it takes the less likely that it’s a clear and obvious error but … ultimately football’s expectation of reviews is that at the end it’s the right decision.”

Elleray said that no major changes were expected to VAR in the next year, although Fifa is continuing to study the possibility of automating offside decisions, which should make them quicker, and with “encouraging results”.

He also pointed to qualitative changes to the game he believes VAR has made possible, such as reducing diving in the box and the mobbing of referees.

“There are fewer games decided by clear and obvious errors by the match officials,” Elleray said. “There are fewer players getting away with violence on the field behind the referee’s back. I think some of the other benefits are less well publicized but there is evidence that there’s a significant reduction of simulation in the penalty area.

“There’s also a general reduction in players mobbing and arguing with referees because they know very well any contentious decision relating to a penalty or a goal is going to be checked or reviewed by the VAR. Behaviour is better.”

(The Guardian)



US Beats Czechia 4-1 to Set up World Junior Hockey Final against Finland

Gabe Perreault #34 of Team USA scores on goaltender Michael Hrabel #30 of Team Czechia in the first period of the semifinal match during the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship at Canadian Tire Center on January 4, 2025 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Getty Images North America/Getty Images via AFP)
Gabe Perreault #34 of Team USA scores on goaltender Michael Hrabel #30 of Team Czechia in the first period of the semifinal match during the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship at Canadian Tire Center on January 4, 2025 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Getty Images North America/Getty Images via AFP)
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US Beats Czechia 4-1 to Set up World Junior Hockey Final against Finland

Gabe Perreault #34 of Team USA scores on goaltender Michael Hrabel #30 of Team Czechia in the first period of the semifinal match during the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship at Canadian Tire Center on January 4, 2025 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Getty Images North America/Getty Images via AFP)
Gabe Perreault #34 of Team USA scores on goaltender Michael Hrabel #30 of Team Czechia in the first period of the semifinal match during the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship at Canadian Tire Center on January 4, 2025 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Getty Images North America/Getty Images via AFP)

Boston University's Cole Eiserman broke a second-period tie and the defending champion United States beat Czechia 4-1 on Saturday night to advance to the world junior hockey championship game.

The Americans will face Finland — a 4-3 overtime winner over Sweden in the first semifinal — for the title Sunday night. Finland beat the United States 4-3 in overtime in group play.

Eiserman made it 2-1 with 6:19 left in the second with a one-timer off a cross-ice feed.

“I’m proud of our guys,” said coach David Darle of Denver. “We played an excellent Czech team and it was a very difficult game. We continue to grow as a group and we’ll get set to face another great team in Finland tomorrow."

Boston College teammates Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perreault each had a goal and an assist for the Americans. Minnesota's Oliver Moore also scored, and Michigan State's Trey Augustine made 26 saves.

The Americans are seeking their seventh title and first back-to-back championships.

“It would mean everything,” said Perreault, who also played last season. “We definitely have the team to do it. We’ll be ready to go.”

Jakub Stancl scored for the Czechs. Michael Hrabal stopped 21 shots.

In the first semifinal, Benjamin Rautiainen scored on a power play at 9:22 of overtime to lift Finland past Sweden.

Rautiainen beat goalie Melker Thelin from a sharp angle to the right of the net on a 4-on-3-man advantage with Tom Willander in the penalty box for holding.

“Very skillful guy at doing things like that,” Finnish coach Lauri Mikkola said about Rautiainen. “Nobody expected when he shoots.”

Petteri Rimpinen made 43 saves for Finland. Emil Hemming had a goal and an assist and Jesse Kiiskinen and Arttu Alasiurua also scored.

Otto Stenberg scored twice for Sweden. Wilhelm Hallquisth also scored and Thelin stopped 31 shots.