Why won’t VAR review corner kicks after Sean Dyche’s complaints?

Coincidentally, the technical committees of the International Football Association Board (Ifab) met to discuss potential changes to VAR last week, with incorrect corner kicks leading to goals on the agenda.

The Italian Football Federation proposed that corner kicks become part of VAR’s remit, and this was thought to be the most likely change as it is usually a factual decision, rather than a subjective one.

This means that it will not take as long for the referee to go to the stadium screen.

But there were mixed opinions from members of the advisory committees – which include former players, coaches and referees – and it was rejected, because it meant checking how the ball went out on every goal resulting from a corner kick.

There is a real concern about adding anything to VAR that could cause additional delays.

It would also break one of the fundamentals of the Fifth Law that applies at all levels, with or without VAR, which states that the referee cannot change a restart decision if he realizes it is incorrect after play resumes. So, once the corner is taken and play is live, the game must continue.

If you’re not going to break this fundamental part of Law Five, you should review every corner – on average there are around 10 corners per game in the Premier League – and make sure the decision is correct before making it. Daiichi believes such a check could take five seconds, but nothing in the world of VAR is that fast.

FIFA committees have recommended a review of second yellow cards shown, as it is not a regular occurrence, but even this is controversial for some.

In July, Mark Bullingham, the Football Association’s chief executive, said he opposed any expansion of VAR powers. This is important, because the FIFA Board consists of the four UK football associations (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales), each with one vote, and FIFA, with four votes.

“We don’t think there’s any need to expand the use of VAR,” Bullingham told BBC Sport. “There are regular discussions at the International Football Association Board (IFAB) about what VAR should be, and how it should move forward. I think our position is that we are in a good position now.”

Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer has some sympathy for Daiche but, like Bullingham, feels VAR should not review corner kicks.

“I agree with Sean and understand his frustration and anger,” he said. “I don’t want to involve VAR because it stops and starts as it is. I don’t encourage that, but I encourage officials to do their job properly, not to guess.”

Others argue that VAR’s failure to review basic goal-scoring errors seems to go against the entire ethos of the system.

The concern is that if you start reviewing angles, what’s the next step? Free kicks? Throw-ins? Shall we then review everything?

Perhaps this will come back again, but for now, there is a feeling that the review of the corners needs further discussion about the potential impact before a change is considered.

Even if it was a VAR option, there is no guarantee that Casemiro’s goal would be disallowed, and it will certainly take some time to reach a decision, whatever that decision may be.

With the camera not directly on the goal line, it could be argued that there was no conclusive evidence of foul play, as Arsenal discovered to their cost at Newcastle two years ago.