'How far will we go?' - Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger urges caution over VAR

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Tom Doyle23 June 2017

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has urged football's decision makers to keep the game as simple as possible amid the new dawn of VAR technology.

Fifa's VAR system - or video assistant referee technology - is being trialled at this summer's Confederations Cup, with a number of key decisions already being referred upstairs to a mixed reception from fans, managers and players alike.

Chile's 2-0 win over Cameroon earlier in the competition sparked controversy with a furious reaction from Arturo Vidal after a VAR referral saw Eduardo Vargas' finish from his pass ruled out for a marginal offside.

Vargas' situation led to debate over the implementation of the system given that the VAR took over a minute to decide against giving a goal, while regulations also stating that the original decision (a goal) can only be overturned if it is 'clearly wrong'.

Vidal argues after a Chile goal is ruled offside using VAR
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Wenger suggests that Fifa may be on a slippery slope with VAR due to the fluid nature of football, and the differing interpretations of the rules at all levels of the game.

"The only question we have to answer now is how far will we go?" Wenger told Arsenal Player.

"For example there is a guy in the box who should be given a penalty. The opposition win the ball, go up the other end and score. Do you cancel the goal and give the penalty to the other side?

"That could become a very controversial decision, because if the referee lets the game flow he cannot stop the game.

"If he comes back and gives a penalty of course that can create havoc, because he has to wait until the game has stopped to intervene. We have to think about how you deal with that.

"At the moment I would [use VAR] for offside and goals allowed or disallowed, but keep it as simple as possible.

"It would sometimes allow the linesmen to let the game go - they would be encouraged to be a bit less protective of the defenders if they knew that if a goal was scored you could come back to see if it was offside or not.

"The penalty decision I’m not 100 per cent convinced about because even if you watch it 10 times on video and have 10 specialists in the studio, five might say it’s a penalty and five might say it’s not."

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