VAR's 'Clear and Obvious' Has Become a Shield for Indefensible Errors

The idea that VAR should only overturn 'clear and obvious' errors sounds sensible. In practice, it has become the Premier League's favourite get-out clause, a rhetorical device to justify maintaining patently wrong decisions rather than empowering the technology to correct them.

How a Good Idea Became a Bureaucratic Mess

When VAR was introduced, it promised precision. Instead, we got the spectacle of referees spending minutes at monitors, only to stick with calls that any neutral could see were wrong. Why? Because the threshold for overturning has been set so absurdly high that only a decision matched by a comic-book villain would qualify.

  • In August 2023, Manchester United's Alejandro Garnacho had a goal ruled out for offside against Arsenal. Replays showed he was clearly onside, yet VAR deemed the error not 'clear and obvious' enough to overturn. The explanation? The lines were drawn from the wrong frame.
  • Wolverhampton Wanderers suffered a series of identical VAR failures, culminating in the club formally requesting the removal of VAR. They were ignored.
  • Liverpool were denied a legitimate goal at Tottenham thanks to a communication breakdown between on-field officials and VAR. The incident was so egregious that PGMOL released an audio recording, yet no points were restored.

The Real Purpose of the 'Clear and Obvious' Standard

The 'clear and obvious' test exists not to protect the purity of the game but to protect referees from being embarrassed multiple times a weekend. It allows PGMOL to argue that any non-ludicrous error is 'subjective' and therefore not worthy of correction. This is not football—it's a bureaucratic cover-up disguised as a philosophy.

The Counter-Argument: Subjectivity Is Inevitable

Proponents will tell you that many decisions are inherently subjective—handball, fouls, intensity. They argue that without a high bar for intervention, the game would constantly stop for every marginal call. This is true, but it misses the point: VAR should intervene for factual errors (offside, ball out of play, incorrect identity) and ignore opinion calls. The Premier League refuses to make this distinction, preferring to lump everything under one vague standard so no structural change is needed.

Where the Premier League Will Be Standing in 12 Months

By February 2026, the Premier League will be forced to expand semi-automated offside technology to cover all offside decisions, finally eliminating the 'clear and obvious' farce for factual calls. PGMOL will still insist the standard remains for subjective decisions, but the damage will be done: the lie will have been exposed as a cost-cutting measure, not a philosophy.

Filed under: Opinion | LA Premier League Home