The referees show their chest: the VAR was right 97 times and 93% in the hands

“The success of our referees is very high”, started Carlos Velasco Carballo, president of the CTA, in the analysis of the first two-thirds of the season. “Our instruction in case of VAR is that in case of doubt do not intervene, only in clear and manifest errors,” he added. The president of the referees was escorted at the press conference by Clos Gómez, director of the VAR Project, and the international referees Del Cerro Grande and Sánchez Martínez.

Velasco Carballo projection as positive aspects of Spanish arbitration its high level of success and especially in the penalties of serious foul play and violent behavior. In addition, they point out that VAR interventions in the areas are leading to more correction of penalties indicated by the referees and little more is being entered to sanction those not indicated.

Despite highlighting several of its virtues, they also made self-criticism and pointed out that the average intervention time is still too high for the average that is wanted and control over the behavior of the players in the stands and that of the players must be improved. coaches on the benches. Alsos, they insist on pedagogy for the issue of the hands, the overt chances of scoring, the holding in promising attacks and the interference offside. Concepts that they consider remain unclear in many sectors of arbitration.

VAR data

In LaLiga Santander, video arbitration has intervened on 100 occasions, although three of them were improperly and on another thirteen he had to enter but did not. Of all of them, 69 were on the monitor (interpretation plays) and 31 were factual. He leaves an average of once intervention once every 2.48 games. The 100 interventions are distributed as follows: 33 went to goals, 44 to penalties, 2 identity errors and 19 red cards.

Regarding the penalty area, there were 563 incidents: of them 517 were hits and 46 were wrong decisions. Of these, the VAR corrected 37 and did not do so in 9. This makes the referee's success increase to 98.40% thanks to technology.

The VAR time is 96 seconds in the factual plays (94 seconds in the previous season) and in which a season is passed through the monitor 132.

Criteria for pointing hand

Velasco Carballo stressed that the arbitration team has clear criteria. “They are correct in the vast majority of actions, they know the criteria and are consistent. If they are not correct, it is not a lack of criteria, but simply failures,” he says.

So far in the league 73 hand actions have been taken and the referees hit 93% of them. The field player was right on 53 occasions and on another 15 it was the VAR that helped him get the right answer. Leaving only five errors in the hands in 250 games. Only two hands have been left at shoulder height and three unnatural hands to sanction.

Clos Gómez explained when it should not be sanctioned: if the hand is supported or the path of it is not a hand; hands close or close to the body; hand after ball played by the player himself, and hand in natural position.

The following are sanctionable: any accidental hand immediately prior to goal, deliberate / intentional hand (those in which the player makes a movement towards the ball); hands at shoulder height and hands in an unnatural position (those that occupy a greater space and avoid a shot or goal).