“The referees have to direct the matches and not be aware of the VAR,” said the president of the Conmebol referee commission, Wilson Seneme, in a conversation with journalists this Wednesday in Asunción and said that video arbitration is there to facilitate their work on the playing field.
«The referees cannot be aware of the VAR. They have to lead the party and we be vigilant so that they are free to do so, “said Seneme.
“We cannot generate an expectation of perfection. There is no zero error. There may be technological failures and there may be human failures. This is life. We are not perfect, “stressed the former Brazilian referee.
Seneme responded in this way to the criticism of several national associations and the press for gross errors that were recently observed in several matches of the tournaments organized by Conmebol -Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana and Copa América- and FIFA-World Cup qualifiers- .
The introduction of VAR in 2017 in South American competitions was to avoid potential potential errors, he said.
“If they are gray plays, the court decision (of the judge) must be maintained,” he explained after remarking that “the impact of VAR intervention in a match is very great.”
He said that the slogan is “minimum interference, maximum benefit” for the game.
“The VAR is the insurance that the referee has,” he said.
Seneme urged South American associations to officially introduce this technology in their local tournaments, which have already been adopted by Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Chile (the latter partially), among others.
In the midst of the pandemic, “we have granted VAR certification to referees from Paraguay, Chile, Peru and Uruguay,” he stressed.
The objective is to centralize VAR matches over time in the Arbitration Technological Training Center (CETA) set up by Conmebol at its permanent headquarters in Asunción, Seneme said.
The pandemic had made it difficult for the referees to travel to the competitions. “With centralization, work will be much easier. A referee may play 2 or 3 games per week. Today is one for each party, “he said.
hro / cl
© Agence France-Presse
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