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Make way for the automatic Ref! How about an automatic referee? I decided to take a look and see is it possible that VAR could go from video assistant referee to Video Automatic Referee with no human involvement. And despite, I reckon, most of you saying that’s as dystopic as zombies running the planet, (ah, so that’s what’s been happening, now I understand the chaos) I am going to give it a go and see, one, do I see it as possible, two, what are the pros and cons, and three, is it likely? Fans won't like what I am proposing So what do I mean by Video Automatic Referee? I mean an AI referee that makes its decisions on a big screen without human intervention. AI ref would interpret handball, fouls, offside, penalties, injury time, etc. It would also blow its whistle for kickoff, end of play and suchlike. More tech in the stadiums Some changes would have to be made to the pitch, that’s for certain. All lines would have to have sensors running underneath the same as on the goal line. And I reckon you would have to stop spectators running on to the pitch to disrupt the game. Either a lot of stewards or higher fences or both - step forward the mad Ken Bates of Chelsea who once proposed electrifying the fences. AI could shine a laser on where free kicks and throw-ins are to be taken and insist it is taken from that spot. They could allow a short amount of distance discretion built in to allow for quick throws or free kicks. I reckon they would also need more cameras than at the moment. Beyond that I can’t think of any other changes needed on the pitch or for pitch management. Too simple? Maybe. What about player and staff management? Here I think it could be easier, AI makes its decision and there is no argument. A red card and the player doesn’t want to go? Who can he argue with? AI stops play until he leaves and the club accumulate points for not quickly implementing decisions, potentially losing actual league points for too many infractions. The manager would get them off quickly in such cases. AI could also have a maximum time for taking dead ball situations, corners, free-kicks etc, and of course, track time-wasting better than humans. Bye bye Refs In short, I think it could be possible to have an AI referee in technology terms without much change of rules and not huge expenses either. You would be saving on officials salaries after all. You would presumably need a human to put in information such as if a kick-off has to be delayed because of a traffic jam or something or something happens in the stadium that the AI ref needs to be made aware of, Spectator trouble or a spectator dying or such like. Pier Luigi Collina - did he start the bald ref style? I feel that it would be crucial to such a system, though, that humans cannot alter the AI decision. AI must have complete power otherwise it is open to corruption. Would the fans accept it? If there was consistency of decision-making, quick decisions, a better flow of play, and less injury time, I think probably yes. I am not sure that fans could really stop it if the football gods decided on the change. The ref’s associations would not be happy but as they are being made redundant, they would be like the old style film camera makers, not able to do anything about it. Consistent decision-making Pros and cons, then? The lack of scope for arguing should make for a quicker game, and players would have a rules consistency that they do not have at the moment. Without the human element and the slowness of going to the monitor, then AI could much quicker look at all angles and info from the sensors and come up with near instant decisions on penalties, handball, offside, etc., and presumably get them right. We all know how fast an AI query is, so you would get the decision almost straightaway. The fans could moan, they always do, but the game would quickly restart and they would have to get back into watching the game. As I say, if players or management try to disrupt the game by arguing they would run the risk of losing league points or a tie if it is a cup game. Fights among players are, inexplicably to me, part of the attraction for some fans. Here, VAR could send off the first player to fight straightaway no matter where it happened on the pitch. That would be a huge deterrent for any player. The managers would have to warn the Roy Keane’s and others that starting a fight for any reason is going to weaken the team. The kickback from their fellow team mates and the fans at maybe losing a match they could win would lessen greatly such incidents happening. You would be able to abuse the new VAR as much as you like Other pros are that AI would give consistent decisions so the players, staff and fans would know what would constitute an infringement and possibly accept decisions easier because of that. Bias, perceived or otherwise would presumably be gone. There would be no more calling for cards, surrounding the ref, or bleating afterwards. And no targeting refs with death threats. The referee’s a wanker In short, a quicker game, consistent decisions and a little bonus – as AI has no legal parents the fans can scream “The referee’s a bastard” and it would be true. AI could even quickly pop up a screen of it crying to show that it is hurt by the chant. Howard "Manchester United" Webb was obviously a fan of Collina's hairstyle And so to cons. It would be expensive and only available to top clubs, in England maybe the top 2 divisions. Referees could still find employment at lower levels but presumably at lower pay. Fans initially won’t like it, but they never like change. The Premier League was opposed but has become easily the biggest selling soccer franchise. If AI makes a mistake it won’t be possible to correct it but that is the same as now. You can rescind cards at the moment but little else can be changed. That can continue. There would still have to be a review system of VAR and they can always strive to improve it. If they can minimise current mistakes, that would be a good thing, surely? New rules I am struggling to come up with cons, in truth. I suspect there would have to be rule changes, for instance grabbing jerseys would have to be an automatic foul no matter where it happens. I would not grieve if shirt pulling was gone. If players knew it was an automatic foul they would stop doing it. Another Collina fan - Lee Mason At the moment at corners, as the ball is not considered in play, then shirt pulling is tolerated until the ball is kicked. That would have to change and shirt pulling would have to always be an offence within the 90 minutes. But handball and fouls should be a lot more straightforward for AI. They should be able to determine exactly where the contact is and if there is a foul as they can examine many camera angles almost instantaneously and come up with a reliable conclusion, something that is impossible for a human with only one angle and distance to work from. I am hoping readers can come up with more cons as I am struggling to think of them. This surprises me as I thought, when thinking about this article that there would be plenty. When will it happen? So, will it happen? I am starting to think, yes. At the highest level, the top leagues and the big international tournaments, it would make FIFA and the regional admins like UEFA's jobs easier. The only argument will be with VAR. No more flying a team of officials out for every match, hotel bills etc. The stadiums would be kitted out for VAR and obviously while computer experts would be on hand to oversee the systems, they would, presumably, be a part of the stadiums staff and while they may be capable of rigging the system the other experts would be able to spot trickery such as home bias. I suspect all this could physically happen very quickly , maybe even over one summer as a lot of the technology is in the stadiums anyway. Simon Hooper, another Collina fan Having an AI automatic referee would be a massive change for sure. Would it make the game more sterile? No more fights or shoving matches, no pulling shirts, or manhandling. Or would it put a premium on pure skill and good play? No more kicking a player out of existence. I have surprised myself in writing this piece. I now believe that this could be the crucial change for the better. One area where technology could work very well. A quicker game with less fouls, and far less messing and injuries. I say bring it on. And hey, do I feel sorry for the refs losing their big salaries? Nah! They were all wankers and bastards anyway Update to Table of Doom Well you all know what is necessary now, win three and one and greatness descends upon the Arsenal. I am not sure I need to say any more. Everyone knows what’s left. And by the way, last week I predicted here what should happen and it did.