Slow-motion VAR replays do not make tackles look worse and have no negative effect on decisions, study finds

Slow-motion VAR replays do not make tackles look any worse and have no negative effect on a referee’s decision-making, a new study has found.

The first analysis of its kind, carried out by the University of Lincoln, found no evidence to suggest watching a foul in slow motion can make it appear more intentional to referees.

One of the most frequent criticisms of the VAR system has been that tackles look worse when they are slowed down and that referees are therefore more likely to wrongly issue a red card.

But the study of 80 officials from the top two tiers in English football found that VAR helped them to correctly distinguish between fouls that deserved a red card and those that deserved a yellow.

The participants watched video clips from different European leagues in both real time and slow motion. They had to judge the extent of the contact, the degree of intent in the challenge, and the disciplinary sanction required.

The researchers said the slow-motion clips helped with the decision-making process rather than making any fouls look more extreme.

Professor George Mather, a vision scientist at the University of Lincoln and the study’s lead author, said slow-motion replays enhanced an official’s ability to distinguish between “moderate and severe” fouls.

"We found no evidence in our results that slow-motion can by itself bias refereeing decisions by making incidents appear more intentional,” he said.

"Instead, the data show slow-motion can actually help referees to distinguish between yellow-card and red-card incidents.”

The decisions involved were related to yellow-card and red-card offences, and all centred around challenges for the balls. There were no hand-balls or offside offences involved.

"The study gives me more confidence in VAR,” said Prof Mather. “I think it should definitely be kept as the best way to deal with critical decisions.”