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Glite Dictionary
VAR

VAR

1 5.1
A team or system that checks video replays to help the referee make decisions
  • noun
  • Jargon
: VAR
  • After a video review, VAR helped the officials decide to award a penalty kick for the foul.
  • VAR system
  • VAR review

Look, I I thought the VAR stuff, I thought the penalty was soft.

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Examples

  • The VAR system ensures accurate decisions by allowing referees to review key incidents during the match.

  • We do not report the VAR results due to space limitations.

    Academic text (2018)

  • Next week we'll learn about the flaws of VAR and some common criticisms of this approach.

    Patrick Boyle

  • During the game, the referee consulted the VAR after a controversial goal to confirm its validity.

Surface Forms

VAR singular
VARs plural

Morphology

VAR = V + A + R

This is an acronym, and the meaning of the football officiating system cannot be inferred from the individual letters alone.

Etymology

VAR comes from the first letters of Video, Assistant, and Referee. Think of it as a 'video' helper for the referee on the field who watches replays and advises on decisions, so VAR means a referee helped by video review.