NFF takes VAR action – should reduce time spent
The Norwegian Football Association has received a lot of criticism for a number of VAR situations this season. Now they are taking action to limit the use of time.
– Time is a decisive factor, and we are not satisfied with the use of time in individual situations and in particular offside situations. We’ve done something about this. We have now given a mandate to the referees in charge of VAR that if it is complicated and marginal, they must support the referee’s decisions on the pitch. We have to avoid incidents like the one we had at Odd – Vålerenga at the weekend. Everyone agrees that seven minutes is too long, chief referee Terje Hauge said in one minute pers conference.
– When we took a marginal offside decision and saw that it would take time, we supported the referee’s decision and did not carry out a lengthy investigation, he continued.
According to the NFF, there were 31 VAR situations over the first 122 matches of Eliteserien. This gives an average of 3.9 per game. Hauge saw clear potential for improvement.
– After 120 games and four months in operation, many have worked well, while at the same time we saw that we had to develop the system further, especially in terms of time usage.
In a press release from the NFF, it appears that a large group of club representatives will be formed to look into further steps, including the number of cameras in the Eliteserie arena.
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