The Road To VAR | Ep 6

Lampard's shot had hit the underside of the bar and landed a yard over the line. But unlike Geoff Hurst's goal in 1966. English celebrations were cut short by the referee. No Russian linesman this time to save the day.

From Hurst's contested Wembley goal of 1966, Harold Schumacher's reckless challenge in 1982, Diego Maradona's hand of God goal, to Zinedine Zidane's infamous headbutt in 2006 and to Thierry Henry's handball goal in 2009 football was about to come full circle. And from that moment on, the sport would never be the same again. England's abject defeat at the hands of Croatia at Wembley in 2007 meant that the English national team had failed to qualify for the European Championships for the first time since 1984. Steve McLaren was sacked and in came Italy's Fabio Capello. Capello was one of the greats of the modern European game, having managed European giants AC Milan, Juventus, Roma, and Real Madrid.

Known for his pragmatism and for being a disciplinarian, Capello was seen as the antidote for the celebrity and “wag-friendly” Sven Goran Eriksson and Steve McLaren eras. Capello started his reign by naming Steven Gerrard as captain for the game against Switzerland, with centre-back John Terry eventually getting the armband on a permanent basis. David Beckham was awaiting his 100th international cap. Capello made him wait. England made short work of their qualifying group, winning nine games with just a solitary defeat against Ukraine. Croatia, who had seen off previous manager Steve McLaren, were also dispatched with ease both home and away. With Capello's no-nonsense approach to team discipline, expectations were running high ahead of the World Cup. With the sun setting on England's famed Golden Generation, the time had come to finally deliver.

Across Europe, perennial rivals Germany were once again gearing up for another shot at theWorld Cup. After losing in the semi-finals of the 2006 World Cup on home soil to eventual winners Italy, Joachim Lowe took up the manager's reins, replacing former player and World Cup winner Jürgen Klinsmann. Lowe's transition into management was seamless as he guided Germany to the final of the 2008 Euros, only to fail at the last, going down 1-0 against Spain. Qualification for the World Cup was also smooth running. The Germans winning eight games in a group that included Russia, Finland, and Wales. But injuries were threatening to derail their World Cup hopes. German captain and talisman Michael Ballack was ruled out for the World Cup. Philip Lahm was named captain in his absence.

For the first time in the competition's history, the continent of Africa was to host the World Cup. The bidding process would come under intense scrutiny. When in 2015, a FIFA corruption case uncovered bribery involving FIFA executive committee members, including FIFA vice president Jack Warner, and high-ranking officials from the South African Bid Committee. It must be noted that the previous World Cup, held in Germany, was also at the centre of corruption allegations. With criminal proceedings being brought against two former presidents of the German FA as well as German football legend Franz Beckenbauer.

As well as the off-the-field controversies, on-field controversies were continuing to put pressure on FIFA's long-standing opposition to the introduction of video technology to assist referees. France’s controversial victory over the Republic of Ireland in 2009 was secured through a hand-ball goal by Thierry Henry. The furore surrounding the result was followed by further refereeing controversy, this time in a Champions League semi-final between Chelsea and Barcelona. FIFA had announced a review into the use of video technology or additional officials at the highest level. A widely expected approval of goal-line assistance was surprisingly rejected ahead of the World Cup. A decision that would have major ramifications. England arrived at the World Cup without David Beckham. Approaching his 35th birthday, injury had scuppered any chance of a World Cup swan song for England's most famous footballer. Beckham instead was utilised on the touchline as one of Capello's assistants. Capello was also forced into changes in defence. Captain Rio Ferdinand suffered a knee ligament injury in a training session before a ball was kicked in anger. The skipper's armband passed to Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard. Despite Beckham’s absence on the pitch, England were confident of possessing enough firepower to launch a serious bid for the title.

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney had netted thirty-four times in all competitions. And midfielder Frank Lampard scoring a remarkable twenty-seven goals for Chelsea to help them to a league and cup double. England were grouped with Algeria, Slovenia, and the United States, further increasing expectations that this England team would make a strong start to the World Cup. And it was a skipper that got England up and running in their opening game against the US. But the joy was short-lived, with England goalkeeper Rob Green spilling a tame Clint Dempsey effort to help the US level the score. The game ended 1-1. England's World Cup hopes were further dented with a woeful performance against Algeria with the game finishing in a goalless draw. It meant England had to beat Slovenia in the final group game to secure qualification into the knockout phase. A Jermain Defoe goal secured a nervous victory as well as qualification.

Germany were grouped together with Ghana, Australia, and Serbia. They made short work of the Australians, beating them 4-0, but suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Serbia, before squeezing past Ghana 1-0 to finish as group winners. On June the 27th, 2010 in Bloemfontein, South Africa, England faced off against their historic rivals Germany in the round of sixteen knockout stages of the FIFA World Cup. The stage was set, the atmosphere electric. For England fans, the match represented more than just a chance to progress into the quarter-finals. For so long, Germany stood as a constant reminder of the England national team’s failure to translate expectation into success. The Skinner and Baddiel song, “Football's Coming Home”, was more a lament of England's WorldCup fortunes after 1966 than any jingoistic boast. Thirty years of hurt had in 2010 turned to nearly fifty. But the heartaches of Italia 90 and Euro 96 were music to the ears of the Germans. They had ironically adopted the Skinner and Baddiel anthem as their own. As far as they were concerned, football was already home and doing very well in Germany. With two World Cups and three European Championships to their name since 1966.

Whatever the pre-match hopes were on either side, no one watching that day whether in the stadium, at home, or in pubs scattered across England and Germany could have predicted that the game would become a flashpoint in football history and a catalyst for seismic change in the sport. Germany started the better, as they have done so on so many occasions. England looked cumbersome, flat-footed, and bereft of ideas in a rigid 4-4-2. And after just twenty minutes, a routine clearance by German keeper Manuel Neuer found Miroslav Klose, who slotted past David James to put the Germans ahead. 1-0. Twelve minutes later, Lukas Podolsky made it 2-0 with half-time approaching. Germany were cruising. But on thirty-seven minutes, Matthew Upson gives England a lifeline and just a minute after the restart England look like they’ve completed a remarkable fight back. Frank Lampard received the ball just outside the box, took a touch, and unleashed a right foot shot that soared over goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, struck the underside of the crossbar, and bounced clearly…clearly, over the line, before spinning back out. The stadium gasped. England players threw up their arms in celebration, Fabio Capello fist pumped the air as his team were now level at 2-2. Or so he thought. Joy soon turned to despair as the referee waved play on. Lampard looked bemused, head in hands.

England should have gone into the half-time break level at 2-2. Instead, they were still 2-1 down. Two further goals in the second half meant the game ended 4-1 to the Germans. For Germany, a routine march into the quarter finals of the World Cup. For England, a now familiar story of underperformance and underachievement. But the real story was the Lampard goal. The goal that wasn't.The whole world was witness to one of the most glaring refereeing errors in the history of the game. And sitting in the stands, watching over it all, was FIFA president, Sepp Blatter. ‘It's impossible, you won't work up. To play so important games without technology, without the fifth referee behind the goal.’ Capello fumed post-match.

The aftermath of the game was one of shock and outrage. England fans called foul. Former players, pundits, and journalists lit up the airwaves with indignation. How could the referee and assistant have got it so wrong? How could they both have made such a glaring error? Even Fabio Capello’s immediate reaction to Lampard's attempt was to turn in celebration and he was all the way back in the technical area. The officials at the centre of this latest controversy was match referee Jorge Larionda and the assistant referee running the line Maurizio Espinoza. According to some reports at the time, Larionder was distracted by a tackle and possible foul in front of him. That split second costing him a clear view of Lampard's shot. But what about the assistant referee Maurizio Espinoza? It appeared that he had a clear view of the shot. and should have been able to see that the ball had crossed the line by a long distance. It could be that his focus was on possible offside infringements in what was a packed penalty areaas England attacked. Whatever the explanation, it was a monumental failure on the part of the match officials. But the post-match conversations quickly turned from criticism of the referee to the question of video technology. The digital age had put information and content literally in the palm of our hands. Viewers across the globe were watching these controversies unfold in real time, along with the glaring errors. The people with the least access to such information, it appeared, were the match officials. Until, that is, they walked into the inevitable media storm post-match. FIFA president Sepp Blatter admitted the mistake within days. He called it a serious error and issued a rare public apology to the English FA. Up until that moment, Blatter was implacably opposed to the introduction of video technology. His argument that the purity of the game would be compromised was increasingly falling on deaf ears. The clamor for football to embrace technology as other sports had was growing and showing no sign of abating. The Lampard goal was football's tipping point.

In 2012, two years after the debacle of Bloemfontein, FIFA president Sepp Blatter finally relented on his long-standing opposition to video technology. The footballing world endorsed his view and the sport voted to introduce video technology to help referees officiate better, the global game. The origins of the video assistant referee trace back to the Refereeing 2.0 project of the early 2010s, which was launched under the auspices of the Dutch FA. After trials in the 2013-14 season, the Dutch FA lobbied the International Football Association Board, IFAB, for the system to be introduced across the board. After trials in friendly matches around the world, the A-League inAustralia was the first association to use the VAR system in a top-flight professional game in 2017, when Melbourne City played Adelaide United. In North America, the MLS followed suit in the same year, with the Bundesliga and Serie A also adopting the new system. UEFA introduced VAR in its 2019-20 season, as did the English PremierLeague - This after a controversial decision in a game between Southampton and Watford. And in the 2018 World Cup, for the very first time in the competition's history, the video assistant referee was now in full use.

Today, VAR is deeply embedded in professional football. It's used in top domestic leagues, continental competitions, and international tournaments. Its implementation hasn't been without criticism. Outside of the straightforward goal-line decisions, football is still marred by refereeing controversies. Every weekend, in leagues across the world, in-game commentary and post-match analysis are often centred around controversial refereeing decisions. Often with VAR at the centre of debate.The idea that football would arrive at some kind of utopia, basking in the light of modern technological advancement, where refereeing controversies would become a thing of the past, was always fanciful thinking. Most refereeing decisions made in the post-VAR age are, ultimately, still subjective ones. Was it a foul? Was it a red card? Was the action reckless or dangerous? Was it a deliberate handball? All VAR appears to have done is add another layer of subjectivity to any refereeing decision. And of course, despite all the advancement in technology, officials still get things massively wrong.

The list of footballing controversies is as long an old as the game itself. And controversies are a part of football history and culture. Aren't the Hurst and Lampard goals all the more sweeter and infuriating because it was against the old rival Germany? Wasn't it easier for England to complain incessantly about the hand of God goal than to deal with the divine nature of that second goal? Would the phrase Hand of God have existed at all if Maradona's first goal was wiped out by video technology? “A little with the head of Maradona, but wiped out by the hand of VAR”, doesn't quite have the same poetic ring to it. From the very first time that televised games were beamed into homes in the late 1930s, football has witnessed and enjoyed an irresistible rise in almost every part of the world. Its success created an almost insatiable appetite for coverage to an ever-expanding global audience. The power of television and social media demanded that football keep up with the advancements its match-going and television-watching audiences were accustomed to in their daily lives. A sport that generates billions of dollars of commercial revenue had to adapt in order to protect its sporting integrity.

So now that VAR has been introduced, have we arrived at football's promised land? VAR, much like any kind of technology, is always evolving and developing. What will the sport look like in 2030 or 2040? Football may introduce Augmented Reality glasses to give on-field referees enhanced visuals and digital information in real time. Fans in stadiums may see real-time decisions on their devices. Players may have microchips in their boots to track positioning and contact. It's a far cry from those grainy images of Geoff Hurst wheeling away in celebration amidst German protests. But football has moved on and a new generation of players, officials, and supporters view VAR as just another part of the beautiful game.The controversies of the past helped to develop aspects of the game we love today. The endless debate, the fan culture, the in-depth analysis of each game has all been helped along by the rise of television, video, and digital technology. It's a long road, littered with the most controversial moments in the history of the sport.

It's the road to VAR.