Kalimantan Gull
Well-known member
I like refs who let things go, who allow strong challenges and don't blow up when people go over easily. A ref can let a game flow like that if he wants, but then VAR can come in and say 'we don't want you reffing like that, that's a foul'. I think that's where the subjectivity comes in, it's not a fact that that's a foul if he is not penalising similar challenges the same way.It really depends what clear and obvious means. Does it mean that
a) the foul by Hughes is easy to see?
b) once you take the time to look closely, it's undeniable that it is a foul by Hughes?
It is a fact that it was a foul. It was an (understandable) error by the ref. Those are facts, so it's not subjective, so from that point of view it is clear and obvious. It's just that it wasn't easy to see on first viewing, so not clear from that point of view.
It's a shame that it's taken so long, but it makes a big difference to the game so it's the sort of thing we want to be right. There are many things wrong with VAR at the moment, but I don't think this is one of them.