Women’s World Cup is a guinea pig for VAR but it’s the referees who must improve

The Independent’s columnist analyses the World Cup's faulty video sideshow

Has this Women's World Cup become a guinea pig for VAR? In the past few days, I’ve heard people say decisions have been harsh, inhumane and have even ruined matches. I don’t personally agree with VAR but, ultimately, I can’t say something that reinforces the rules is unfair.

Twice Scotland were undone by a mini-pandemonium of video reviews and the way they went out was heartbreaking. Lee Alexander made a spectacular save under so much pressure, it was a heroic moment, but then suddenly it’s stripped away from you by the length of a foot or the width of a crossbar.

You can look at the past and, of course, hundreds of penalties would be disallowed historically, but that’s the nature of bringing in a new system. You have to start somewhere and it’s going to be a slow process. It’s already a huge talking point in the men’s game so it’s hardly something that’s been confined to this tournament.

The bottom line is, whether we agree with it or not, VAR is here to stay, so as players we have to try and adjust to that. The game deals in wilder swings of emotion, one minute you can be celebrating, fulfilling your dream of scoring at a World Cup and four minutes later after a protracted review you have to pretend it never happened and somehow not let that affect you.

VAR isn’t working well right now, I think we can all see that. But the responsibility doesn’t just lie in the way the system is operated or the laws of the game - be it a handball or a penalty - the answer is for the standards of refereeing to improve.

One of the longest-running criticism I’ve heard as a female player is that the game’s too slow or that it doesn’t have the same intensity as the men.

I think all those critics have been answered by the quality of play at this World Cup. The level has been incredible to watch, the rhythm of the games has been unlike anything we’ve seen before.

Yet, time after time, we’re seeing matches derailed and delayed for long periods, not because of injuries or accidents, but so the referee can spend time checking and deliberating over their initial decision.

Football has always been a game that relies on instinct and I’ve always liked that. One day the referee can rob you, the next day he can save you and we accept that our fate is in large part left in their hands.

Scotland keeper Lee Alexander was booked for coming off her line during the penalty (Reuters) (REUTERS)

The system of running to the pitchside screen, leaving the entire stadium frozen in tension, has brought a foreign layer of pressure onto the officials; the type of which they can’t rehearse or replicate. They have to become better equipped to resolve the situation swiftly because otherwise, as we’ve seen in some cases already, the suspense can end up disjointing and overshadowing the story of an entire match.

Just like the players work tirelessly on the training pitch, the referees need to be doing the same so they can make the right decisions during the game and minimise the use of VAR.

VAR penalises Lee Alexander for coming off her line (Getty)

My greatest hope is that the issues surrounding VAR and the time and sting it’s taken from games aren’t something that gets unjustly reflected onto the teams who’ve played out of their skins during the group stages.

I don't want the protocols to change or for VAR to be disused, it’s for the standards of refereeing to improve before the video review system becomes a circus that football can’t properly control.