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)



Rafael Nadal to Be Honored with a Tribute at the French Open

FILE PHOTO: Tennis - French Open - Paris, France - June 6, 2022 Spain's Rafael Nadal poses on the Alexandre III bridge in front of the Eiffel Tower with the trophy after winning the men's singles French Open title REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Tennis - French Open - Paris, France - June 6, 2022 Spain's Rafael Nadal poses on the Alexandre III bridge in front of the Eiffel Tower with the trophy after winning the men's singles French Open title REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo
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Rafael Nadal to Be Honored with a Tribute at the French Open

FILE PHOTO: Tennis - French Open - Paris, France - June 6, 2022 Spain's Rafael Nadal poses on the Alexandre III bridge in front of the Eiffel Tower with the trophy after winning the men's singles French Open title REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Tennis - French Open - Paris, France - June 6, 2022 Spain's Rafael Nadal poses on the Alexandre III bridge in front of the Eiffel Tower with the trophy after winning the men's singles French Open title REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo

Retired 14-time champion Rafael Nadal will receive a tribute at the French Open on Court Philippe-Chatrier on May 25, the tournament’s opening day.

“Rafa has left his mark on the history of the French Open in so many ways, that’s why a tribute ceremony will be held in his honor,” French Open director Amélie Mauresmo said on Thursday. “We want the tribute to be special, exceptional. We want it to be a surprise for everyone.”

Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion who retired in November, already has a statue rising in the alleys of the clay court Grand Slam. He will also feature in an exhibition in the tournament museum and lend his voice to the official French Open trailer, The Associated Press said.

“We wanted to do the tribute last year, to be transparent, but he refused at the time,” Mauresmo said. “He wasn’t sure that it was his last Roland Garros. Now that he is retired, he is happy to receive it.”

Nadal holds the record for the most French Open titles with 14. His last appearance at the tournament was in 2024 when he lost to Alexander Zverev in the first round.

“Rafael Nadal and Roland Garros are inseparable. We have a strong history together,” said Gilles Moretton, president of the French Tennis Federation. “Amélie and I went to see him not long ago because we wanted to do something important for him. We still had some frustration from last year.”

Organizers also plan to build on the success of the 2024 Paris Olympics by setting up a fan zone with giant screens showing matches. Located at Place de la Concorde in central Paris, the venue will be free and open to up to 5,000 fans.

“We saw an incredible atmosphere last summer in Paris. We plan on surfing on this success,” Mauresmo said.