VAR won’t be in use for Arsenal’s FA Cup third round match against Manchester United, with the FA confirming the decision.
The FA confirmed on Monday that Video Assistant Referees will only be used in this season’s FA Cup from the fifth round onwards.
Previously, VAR had been in use for all matches at Wembley Stadium and at any Premier League grounds, but not for games at lower-league grounds.
The justification for that decision was the costs, infrastructure, and workforce required to have video officials for all of those games.
But to ensure consistency for all teams in the competition, the change has been made to remove VAR for the third and fourth rounds, even at Premier League grounds, before bringing it in for the fifth round onwards, even at the lower-league grounds.
As a result, despite Arsenal’s third-round match being against a big-six side in Manchester United, and despite the fact it will be played at the Emirates Stadium, there will be no VAR in use.
The infrastructure is obviously already in place at the Emirates, as VAR is used on a weekly basis in the Premier League or Champions League. But the system won’t be used this time around.
Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing will likely depend on each fan’s personal outlook on VAR.
The obvious negative is that Arsenal may end up losing the tie on the basis of a blatantly incorrect decision that would have been addressed by VAR.
But the biggest positive is that once a goal is given, there won’t be anyone checking over it with a microscope searching for reasons to rule it out.
