Almost two decades ago, legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson presciently warned about the potential drawbacks of VAR, expressing fears about lengthy video reviews “killing the game.” This concern, voiced after a controversial disallowed goal for Tottenham in 2005, seems eerily relevant today, highlighting ongoing debates about the impact of VAR on the flow and excitement of football.
While expressing his belief in VAR as a helpful technology in 2005, Sir Alex Ferguson specifically cautioned against its overuse, fearing it could “puncture” the game’s flow. He acknowledged the desire for progress and utilizing technology, evidenced by the controversial incident, but stressed the importance of maintaining the sport’s rhythm and spontaneity.
He said: “Well it just adds weight to the point of a technology and cameras.
“I mean I think most people in the game are saying the progress has got to be made in the game as for television cameras and I think that proved it tonight.”
Probed if he meant goalline technology or added intervention, the Red Devils boss replied: “Well that would be a start. My contention about in it the past would be has been that it would take too long.
“So it’s a winter game, people in the terrace and are sitting waiting for something to happen and wait for the referee to go way across the touchline, make a decision, look at it. It could take a couple of minutes.
“But the Bologna coach [Carlo Mazzone] made a good point. If you can’t make a decision in 30 seconds, the game carries on. The 30 seconds sometimes in a lot of cases is about the time you take for a goal kick or a corner kick if you think about it so then it wouldn’t kill the game in terms of wasting time.
“It would be for all decisions. You could start with goal-line incidents and see how it has an impact on the game. A start is always important.”
Ferguson’s opinion of VAR does not appear to have changed at all since 2005. Speaking after a 4-1 success for United against Newcastle back in September 2021, he was still wary about VAR interventions stopping the game.