Once a VAR believer, Fox Sports’ Derek Rae believes it has gone too far.
Rae made an appearance on “Sports Media with Richard Deitsch” on Tuesday and explained his ever-changing relationship with video-assisted review, particularly in the wake of its headline-making decisions during the World Cup.
“I thought this is the right thing,” Rae said. “But I think we’ve moved on a bit and maybe moved on too much.”
Rae said he was an early fan of VAR, citing fans in the stands at live matches watching video replays they took on phones and coming to more accurate conclusions than a referee’s decision.
Rae also mentioned former France star Thierry Henry’s handball against Ireland in the 2010 World Cup qualifying playoff as an incident that made him feel the game needed a way to take a second look at calls.
“We all said if we had technology, if we had video technology, then that would never have happened,” Rae said. “Maybe the Republic of Ireland would have made it and France wouldn’t.”
The broadcaster described the 2018 World Cup in Russia as a period when VAR was used sensibly, fixing egregious calls without completely changing the game.
Now, as the 2026 World Cup is coming to a close, VAR has decided the outcomes of multiple massive games.
Rae got a perfect view of one of those, calling the Argentina-Egypt Round of 16 match that saw the South American side go through after multiple controversial VAR decisions.
One of those was the disallowance of Egypt’s second goal because of a foul over 20 seconds and 100 yards from when and where the goal was scored.
“A hundred yards away — someone stepping on someone’s toe — is not why VAR was brought into the game,” Rob Green, Rae’s partner with Fox, said during the game’s broadcast. “We’ve gotten to a point now where it’s reaching far beyond the powers that it should have.”
Rae said he and Green did a great job questioning the use of video review during the game in real time.
Controversy continued, though, as VAR has played a major role in subsequent rounds in the World Cup.
Whether it was the England-Norway quarterfinal game or the Argentina-Switzerland match, VAR has made game-deciding decisions.
Rae, though, does not believe VAR should go away completely.
“I still think we need it,” Rae said. “But I think we need to pare it back.”
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