Why the Turkish Super League needs Video Assistant Referees

Regardless of which league – or leagues – you follow, rarely a week goes past without a refereeing controversy. Could Video Assistant Referees (VARS) be the solution?

The Super Lig certainly thinks so. The Turkish Clubs Union president Göksel Gümüşdağ revealed on Wednesday that VARS will be implemented from March with the view to be fully implemented next season.

Gümüşdağ stated: “There have been too many refereeing mistakes, we had a meeting with the refereeing committee (MHK) and have signed an agreement which will introduce video assistant referees in March for testing. The 18 clubs have all reached a mutual understanding regarding the new system which we plan to roll out next season.”

The new system being pushed by FIFA will assist referees with goal, red card and penalty decisions and in cases of mistaken identity the match official will be alerted by the VAR. The referee will be able to request assistance and the system will also be able to alert the match official regarding any missed infringements. The referee will be able either accept the information provided or review the video footage on the side of the field of play before taking action.

There are refereeing mistakes in almost every league. The problem in Turkey is more to do with public confidence. The general public, fans and clubs trust in match officials has eroded away over the past few years. Supporters genuinely believe the refereeing system is corrupt and that they collude with shadowy figures to influence results. These are of course conspiracies and some of the accusations are pretty ridiculous but the issue is they are widely believed.

Fans blaming referees for losing games is nothing new but the level of animosity felt towards officials in Turkey has reached fever pitch. Last June a Trabzonspor fan fly-kicked a referee during a game. The same season Trabzonspor defender Salih Dursun took the refs red card and sent him off – only to be given marching orders himself. Dursun was treated as a champion of the people for his dissent. The same club even took a referee hostage on orders from the club president after a poor refereeing decision.

There are a multitude of factors behind the current mood towards refereeing. The 2013 match fixing scandal shook Turkish football to its core. The court of appeal later threw the case out and cleared Fenerbahce of wrongdoing after a gruelling few years which saw club president Aziz Yildirim temporarily incarcerated. The FIFA scandal did not help matters either. Faith in domestic, European and international football has been shattered.

There is a famous Turkish proverb, ‘Throw mud and the stain will remain.’ In the case of the match fixing trial, the damage had already been done and it was the referees that took the brunt. Every refereeing mistake is now treated as a plot against the team that was wronged. Popular football shows dedicate hours scrutinising every major decision. Match officials are under immense pressure. Refereeing is perhaps one of the most vilified professions in the country. Even the slightest error could cost an up and coming referee his job or see him banished into lower-tier football.

The implementation of VARS is a bold step by the Super Lig to improve the quality of refereeing and restore confidence. Generally Turkish referees are pretty much on par with their European counterparts. Cuneyt Cakir has officiated Champions League finals, semi-finals and World Cup semi-finals. Barış Şimşek was praised for his decision in spotting that Mesut Ozil’s goal had crossed the line in Arsenal’s 2-0 victory over Bayern Munich in the Champions League last season. Turkish referees are deemed to be of a high enough standard to officiate in UEFA and FIFA competitions but the same match officials are ridiculed almost weekly in the Super Lig.

The problem is more to do with perception than actual performance. The introduction of VARS will in theory reduce the number of refereeing errors. Accusations of referees manipulating events to favour a particular team could diminish as it would be computer technology assisting with the big calls.

Every Super Lig club, the federation and refereeing committee are committed to the new system but the final say will come down to FIFA. Turkish Clubs Union member and Basaksehir executive director Mustafa Erogut said: “FIFA has to approve the project first before it is rolled out across the league, the testing phase will prove crucial. The clubs, federation and referees have all reached an agreement regarding the new technology but it comes down to the world governing body.”

Not everyone is on board with the proposal and there is a school of thought that believes refereeing errors are part of the game. As far as the Super Lig is concerned the status quo cannot continue. Another important point is how costly erroneous decisions can be. Fenerbahce fell victim to refereeing mistakes in the Europa League semi-finals the season before last. The Yellow Canaries were leading 1-0 in Portugal until Ivan Bebek brandished a red card to send off Mehmet Topal in a decision altered the course of the game. Fenerbahce ended up losing the game 4-1 and being reduced to nine men. The red card shown to Topal still riles up Fenerbahce fans to this day who feel they were cheated out of the competition.

Besiktas also felt aggrieved at Craig Thomson for sending off Andres Beck and awarding a penalty decision on Match Day 6 in the Champions League. The Black Eagles ended up losing to Dynamo Kiev and being dumped out of the competition. The use of VARS could have corrected both decisions which would have had huge financial implications for both clubs.

Refereeing is in need of reform. A fair review system to assist in making the correct decisions will be a major step in restoring faith in match officials and football in general.