The introduction of VAR to the Irish League has been discussed for some time.
But rather than adopting the full system used in Europe’s biggest leagues, could Northern Ireland take a different approach?
A challenge-based system – similar to the model used in Malta – could offer managers a limited number of opportunities to ask for a major decision to be reviewed.
And it could potentially provide another layer of protection against major refereeing errors without turning every match into a VAR-heavy production.
HOW WOULD IT WORK?
Under the proposed model, each manager would receive two challenges per match.
If a manager believes a significant decision has been missed or incorrectly given, they could use one of their challenges to request a review.
The footage would then be checked and the referee could review the incident where appropriate.
Crucially, challenges would be limited.
Managers couldn’t constantly ask for decisions to be checked, meaning the system would be reserved for incidents they genuinely believe could have a major impact on the game.
WHY COULD IT SUIT NI?
The Irish League doesn’t have the financial resources or broadcasting infrastructure of the Premier League.
A full VAR system across every Premiership ground would require significant investment.
A challenge-based model could potentially offer a compromise.
Rather than monitoring every potentially controversial incident, technology would only become involved when a manager believes intervention is necessary.
That could reduce the amount of equipment, personnel and infrastructure required while still giving teams an additional avenue to challenge major decisions.
THE BIGGEST QUESTION
There is, however, an obvious problem.
Who decides what can be challenged?
If a manager has two challenges, they would need to choose carefully when to use them.
A marginal offside in the first half could prove insignificant – while saving the challenge could become crucial later in the match.
There is also the possibility of managers using challenges tactically to disrupt momentum or give players a breather.
The rules would therefore need to be extremely clear about which incidents are reviewable and how the process operates.
WOULD IT IMPROVE REFEREEING?
The argument isn’t necessarily that referees are incapable of getting decisions right.
Football is incredibly fast, and officials have to make split-second decisions from one position.
A challenge system would simply provide another safety net for the biggest incidents.
For a relatively small league, that could be particularly useful in matches where one decision can have major consequences – whether that is a title race, European play-off, cup tie or relegation battle.
BUT WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU GET IT WRONG?
The system would not eliminate controversy.
Even with video evidence, some decisions remain subjective.
A manager could challenge a penalty decision, watch the replay and still disagree with the referee’s final interpretation.
And if a challenge is unsuccessful, supporters may simply feel that technology has confirmed a decision they already disagreed with.
There would also need to be consistency in the technology available at different grounds.
A POTENTIAL MIDDLE GROUND
Perhaps the biggest appeal of the system is that it doesn’t require the Irish League to immediately replicate the model used at the highest level of football.
Two challenges per manager would create a clear limit.
Technology would be available when teams believe a major error has occurred, but the referee would remain central to the match.
It could also provide NIFL with an opportunity to introduce video review gradually and assess whether a more comprehensive system is eventually required.
THE BIG QUESTION
The Irish League has to balance ambition with reality.
Full VAR could be expensive and complicated to implement across the Premiership.
A challenge-based model could potentially offer something different: technology when it matters, without technology taking over the game.
With the proposed system giving each manager two challenges, could this be the most realistic way for the Irish League to introduce video review?
