14/05/2024

Premier League must adopt radical changes to help rid top flight of true scourge

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Premier League must adopt radical changes to help rid top flight of true scourge

ANDY DUNN: When it was finally introduced, VAR was long overdue. It was such a significant development, it will take decades to get as close to perfect as possible but it is obviously getting better as time goes on

ANDY DUNN: When it was finally introduced, VAR was long overdue. It was such a significant development, it will take decades to get as close to perfect as possible but it is obviously getting better as time goes on

Believe it or not, there are actually still some people out there who believe VAR should be ditched and we should go back to one man or woman - with a bit of help from two assistants - trying to officiate a game of 22 players that could be worth millions of pounds.

And not only are all 22 players, normally, younger and fitter than the referee, they are constantly trying to con him or her. It has become a default reaction to try and dupe the referee.

When it was finally introduced, VAR was long overdue. It was such a significant development, it will take decades to get as close to perfect as possible but it is obviously getting better as time goes on.

But even when it is working ultra-effectively, referees will still need all the help they can get because cheating is becoming more sophisticated.

VAR can certainly help out on that score but one area of the dark arts that those in front of the Stockley Park screens are powerless to deal with is time-wasting - a practice that is becoming more of a blight on the game with every week that passes.

Even FIFA realised this and tried to act accordingly, instructing referees to clamp down by maximising the minutes added on.

The Premier League and the Champions League appear not to have followed suit.

According to Opta, who provides all the statistics listed below, the average ball-in-play time in the Premier League this season has been 54 minutes and 46 seconds, which is the lowest since records began in 2012-13.

There are obvious offenders. Watch all games involving Newcastle United and you will see the ball in play for an average of 51 minutes and five seconds.

Referee Stuart Attwell checking the VAR monitor during a match (
Image:
Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)

Watch all games involving Manchester City and you will see the ball in play for 60 minutes and 19 seconds.

But, at one stage or another, they are all at it. Last Sunday, the biter was bitten, as Arsenal were estimated to have wasted almost 17 minutes in their 2-0 win at St James’ Park.

At Anfield, Alisson was booked for time-wasting in Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Brentford. The ball-in-play time for that victory for Jurgen Klopp’s side was a paltry 43 minutes and five seconds.

That is the second lowest figure in the Premier League this season, with only those watching Leeds United versus West Ham United seeing less action (42 minutes 12 seconds).

Consider all those numbers and then consider that the average amount of time added on by referees in the Premier League this season has been - for the first half and second half combined - eight minutes.

During Southampton’s visit to the Emirates Stadium, Saints goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu used 13 minutes to take 18 goal-kicks.

It has become a true scourge and, quite simply, it has become an issue that might finally have to be taken out of referees’ hands.

With all the chicanery and play-acting that is going on, the referee has got enough on his or her plate without having to stop and start a watch every other minute.

FIFA’s clampdown has not been adopted and, in the end, the only way forward might be to use game-clocks that are stopped and restarted to make sure a certain amount of time is played.

It is not ideal, it is a grievous affront to tradition and perhaps in the first instance, refs should be told to get much tougher, cards-wise, with time-wasters.

But when it comes to wasting time, it is time to act.

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