Influence of the video assistant referee (VAR) on the Brazilian Men's Soccer Championship

Abstract

Introduction: Football is the most practiced sport in the world and one of the fundamental elements for the sport are the referees and assistants. Recently, the video assistant referee (VAR) was introduced in football in order to assist referees in the decision-making process during the game. In this way, VAR is used to minimize referee errors and promote fairer competition between teams. Objective: The objective of the present study was to analyze the influence of VAR in the 2019 Men's First Division Brazilian Football Championship, compared to the 2018 edition, in which VAR was not present. Methods: A descriptive analysis of the refereeing performance of all matches of the Brazilian Men's Football Championship, editions 2018 and 2019, was carried out, analyzing the number of penalties, fouls, yellow and red cards, offsides and goals per match. In addition, VAR actions were taken into account in the 2019 edition, including penalties, offsides, red cards and player recognition. It is noted that most of the analyzed plays concern penalties, followed by offsides, red cards and player recognition. The data was collected through SofaScore football statistics website (www.sofascore.com), this data is accessible free of charge. Results: It was found that most of the analyzed plays are related to penalties, followed by offsides, red cards and player recognition. There was a reduction in the average number of fouls, yellow cards and impediments per game in the 2019 Brazilian Men's Football Championship, compared to 2018. Conclusion: The use of VAR can influence arbitration sanctions in the Brazilian Football Championship and, consequently, the dynamics about the game.