Nigel Winterburn: VAR has ruined the ‘moment of magic’ in football
Former Premier League winner Nigel Winterburn has told NewBettingOffers.co.uk that the moment of “magic” in football is diminishing with the way VAR is operating, which is a “big problem” for the Premier League.
VAR is far from being as efficient as it should be
The big problem as a match-going fan is that you never know what’s going on inside the stadium. You’re paying a lot of money to watch a game yet the people watching TV at home know what’s happening before you do. That is a big issue for me.
What do most people do now when they’re inside the stadium and a goal goes in? They look behind them to try and see a TV screen to see if it’s a goal or not. That moment of magic for me is diminishing quite a lot.
VAR is not going to go away, and if you want to look at the stats then it’ll tell you that because of VAR, they are getting more decisions right. But the people controlling it need to look at a more efficient way of using it and I still think that we’re a long way away from that efficiency.
Five-minute VAR checks are ridiculous and I’m pleased I never played with it
Winterburn voiced his frustration at another big problem for VAR – the duration of checks. March saw the longest-ever VAR check in the Premier League, with Tomas Soucek’s late winner for West Ham ruled out after five minutes and 37 seconds – beating a previous record of five minutes.
We’re still in a mess with it. Used in the right way, VAR can still work. But when does VAR intervene? We’re told it’s clear and obvious errors but it’s obviously not. There are a lot of times when they intervene when the error is not clear and obvious, and it’s taking way too long to get to a decision. They will look at a potential offside and decide that it’s alright, but then they’ll see something else in the build-up that could potentially disallow the goal.
They’re taking five minutes plus to come to a decision and that takes away the enjoyment of celebrating a goal. Even players are not really celebrating until after VAR has cleared a goal.
If it’s supposed to be clear and obvious, it shouldn’t take you more than a minute, or a minute and a half to make that decision. When it’s taking three, four, five minutes… that to me is where it becomes ridiculous.
I’m pleased I didn’t play when VAR existed.
More Interviews:
Alan Smith: Phil Foden has to start for England!
Neil Ruddock: Introduce a ‘two-year loan’, scrap six-month deals
Top 20 Betting Offers
|
New UK customers only. Qualifying bet should be a Single or Accumulator bet, min stake £10, and min odds 1.9. 5 Free bets which must be placed with a min odds of 2.0 include: 1 x £10 Free bet on horse racing, 1 x £10 Free bet on football, 2 x 10 Free bet In-play, 1 x £10 Free bet Acca (min 3 selections). To unlock the offer, complete the first deposit via the banking app. Max payout – £500. 7 day expiry. 18+. Begambleaware.org |
|||||
|
New customers only. Register (excl. 13/04/24) with WELCOME50. First bet £10+ at Evens (2.0)+ on Sports within 7 days to get Free Bets: £20 In-Play, £20 Acca & 50 x £0.20 (£10) Free Spins on Fishin’ Frenzy within 10 hours of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility & payment exclusions apply. Full T&Cs apply. |
|||||
|
#Ad • 18+ • Play Safe • From 00:01 on 18.10.2022. £40 bonus. New customers only. Minimum £10 stake on odds of 1/2 (1.5) or greater on sportsbook (excluding Virtual markets). Full T&Cs apply • www.begambleaware.org |
|||||
|
Min Deposit: £5. Maximum Free Bet: £30. First bet with 3+ selections. Overall odds: 3.00+ (2/1). If first bet loses free bets will be credited after bet settled. 100 Free Spins on Gold Blitz credited on settlement of qualifying Acca bet. 18+. BeGambleAware.org. Bet The Responsible Way. Full terms apply |
|||||
|
18+. New Customers Only. Max one £10 Free Bet. Qualifying bets at Odds of 1/1 or greater. Paid as Bonus Token Min 4/5 Odds Req. Skrill, Neteller, Paypal not eligible. T&Cs Apply |
|||||
|
18+ New customers only. Opt in & bet via mobile up to £40 (min. £20) on any football market at odds of 2.00+, in 7 days. Get up to £40 in free bets on selected markets. Bonuses expire in 7 days. Card payments & Apple Pay only. T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org | Please gamble responsibly. |
|||||
|
New bettors; Code SPORT; Wager deposit & bonus 8x; Max qualifying bet stake=initial bonus; Valid 60 days; Min odds, payment method exclusions apply;T&C apply; 18+ |
|||||
|
£10 min deposit. First bet mins odds 1.5 placed within 14 days of sign-up. 2 x £10 in Free Bets: valid for 7 days, free bet stakes not returned. Bet Responsibly. BeGambleAware.org. 18+ T&Cs apply.
|
|||||
|
Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply. Registration required |
|||||
|
18+ New UK+IRE Customers only. Min first £5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 to get 4x £5 free bets. Stake not returned. Restrictions + Free bet T&Cs apply. |
|||||
|
New customers place a £10 fixed odds bet at minimum odds of 1/2. Get 2 x £10 free fixed odds bets. 18+ begambleaware |
|||||
|
18+ New UK+IRE Customers only. Min first 5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 = 1 x 20 free bet. Stake not returned. Free bets expire in 7 days. Full T&Cs apply. |
|||||
|
*New members. £10 min bet on sportsbook (ex. virtual) 1.5 min odds, settled in 14 days of sign-up. Free Bets: accept in 7 days, valid 7 days on sportsbook (ex. virtual). Stake not returned. Full Terms apply. Bet Responsibly. BeGambleAware.org. 18+ |
|||||
|
18+ New customers only. Opt in, bet £10 at odds 2.00+ within 7 days, no cashout. Get 6x £5 Free Bets, set events at odds 2.00+. 7 day bonus expiry. Debit Card / Apple Pay payments only. Click for T&Cs. Please Gamble Responsibly. |
|||||
|
18+. BeGambleAware.org. New accounts only. Min. £10 deposit, debit card only. Up to 50x wagering, game contributions vary, max. stake applies, 7 day expiry. See full terms. #AD
|
|||||
|
Place a bet of £10 at min odds of 1.5 and get £10 upon settlement. Further £10 Multiple token will be credited after 24 hours and a further £5 Horse Racing Multiple token and a £5 Football Bet Builder token will be credited after 48 hours. Full T&Cs apply.18+. BeGambleAware.org. |
|||||
|
New Customers, deposit and place a qualifying bet with bet builder, min stake £5, min odds 3/1 (4.0). Receive a £10 free bet, valid for 7 days. Full Terms apply, 18+ begambleaware. |
|||||
|
T&Cs apply. 18+ New customers only. You must place 3 x £10 sportsbook bets to qualify. Money back as free bets up to £25. Must use code welcome25afs when creating an account. |
|||||
|
New Customers only. Deposit and bet on any Sportsbook Markets with min odds of 2.0. Get 50% Back of your first days' losses as a Free bet up to £50+£20 Casino Bonus. |
|||||
|
New customers only. Max. one £10 free bet. Qualifying bets must be placed at odds of 1/1 (2.00) or greater. Paid as bonus token with min. 4/5 (1.80) Odds req. T&CS APPLY. 18+ |
