VAR fails in soccer match after worker unplugs it to charge phone - Business Insider

A VAR (Video Assistant Referee) system stopped working during a Saudi Pro League match after a stadium worker unplugged it to charge his phone.Al-Nassr were playing Al-Fateh at the Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Sports City Stadium on August 30 when the blunder occurred, according to Saudi news outlet Ariyadhiah.It's the fourth time already this season VAR has failed to work in the Saudi top flight.“VAR technology is disrupted like WhatsApp or an airport failure, but it is not an excuse for us,” Fernando Trisaco, head of the Saudi Arbitration Committee, told Ariyadhiah. “As a software, VAR still has many drawbacks.”Read more of our soccer stories here.Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.VAR (Video Assistant Referee) technology has had its critics since its global inception to world football began in 2018.And the system's latest blunder won't have helped its cause, after it turned out the whole thing can be prevented from working simply by unplugging it.At least, that's what happened in the Saudi Pro League on August 30.Reigning Saudi champions Al-Nassr were playing Al-Fateh at the Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Sports City Stadium in August, when confusion struck as the VAR system failed to operate.At the time the reasons behind the failure were unclear, however it has since emerged that it do so after a stadium employee unplugged the device to charge his mobile phone, according to Saudi news outlet Ariyadhiah.Fortunately for the unnamed employee, the mistake had no effect on the game — which Al Nassr went on to win 1-0 thanks to a 49th minute goal from Firas Al-Buraikan.Read more: A French soccer player has been fired by his club after admitting he stole his teammate's $76,000 watchThis wasn't the first time VAR has caused trouble in the Saudi Pro League this season, however.The technology has failed to work in four top flight games already, and Fernando Trisaco, head of the Saudi Arbitration Committee, says the system, which is only being used for the first time ever this season, still needs work. “There are four games where we had problems in VAR technology,” the Spaniard told Ariyadhiah.“VAR technology is disrupted like WhatsApp or an airport failure, but it is not an excuse for us.”He added: “As a software, VAR still has many drawbacks.”Read more: An Australian sports journalist was accidentally charged $100,000 for a bottle of beer during a work trip to England, and he won't get his money back for over a weekA referee accidentally scored a goal during a Dutch soccer game, then caused outrage by refusing to disallow itWayne Rooney's wife cleverly worked out who was leaking her private Instagram photos by posting 'false stories' visible to only one person: Jamie Vardy's wife