Former Italian referee and refereeing designator Paolo Casarin has discussed the ongoing usage of VAR in Serie A in a column for Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera and noted just some of the differences seen in the past year.
“Who knows how many matches and how many league standings have been unwittingly falsified by human limits. This is why VAR is here to certify this and ensure the result at the full time whistle is the true one. It takes more time granted but the referees, between errors and residues of traditional presumptions, are working hard. There has been a huge decrease in penalties awarded to this time last season with 12 this season to 39 last year. Perhaps defenders have just become more attentive and are more often than not playing with their hands behind their backs. VAR is not here to scare off defenders though or even worse, create negative effects in games.
