Former All-Ireland final hurling referee Brian Gavin has voiced frustration over the continued delay in adopting video assistant referee (VAR) technology in Gaelic games, arguing that recent controversies, particularly in the Dublin-Kerry semi-final, should serve as the final impetus for change.
Gavin has long advocated for the introduction of video technology, referencing a specific incident from the 2018 Munster hurling championship where a Tipperary 'ghost' goal against Waterford sparked debate. He believes the ongoing discussion, which has spanned years, needs to culminate in action from Croke Park.
"How long have we been talking about this? How many years ago was Austin Gleeson and the ghost Tipperary goal, eight years? So, that’s how long this has been talked about and it still hasn’t been introduced," Gavin stated. He also recalled a motion brought forward by Limerick after an All-Ireland semi-final loss due to a missed 65-meter free, and the most recent incident in the Dublin-Kerry match.
"The truth is that more needs to be done to help out referees and the use of technology is an obvious one," Gavin said. He proposed that referees could be given approximately 30 seconds to review uncertain calls, suggesting that such a brief pause would not significantly disrupt the game's flow. He highlighted the potential benefit for resolving contentious moments like the square ball incident in the Kerry match, which he felt should have resulted in a free out.
Concerns previously raised by the Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) in 2020 included the potential for VAR to slow down games, drawing parallels to its implementation in the Premier League, and the challenge of ensuring technology is available at all venues. Gavin countered this by pointing out that Hawkeye technology is not universally present, nor was a hooter at every county ground until recently. He suggested that video technology might initially be confined to major championship games.
"This comes up all the time with something like this, that it won’t be at every ground. But maybe video technology shouldn’t be used at every ground, and it just should be used for the big championship games. I think it has reached a stage now where it has to come in," Gavin explained.
He drew a parallel to the introduction of Hawkeye, noting its crucial intervention in the 2014 hurling final, which prevented a potentially incorrect score from deciding the outcome. Gavin emphasized that VAR should not be used for every infraction but for significant issues such as blatant square balls, potential red card offenses, or decisions that unfairly cost a team points.
"Referees are broadly in favour of it, because it would just provide an extra bit of help to them and that is what we should be looking at doing," Gavin added. He concluded by stating that the objective is to leverage technology to ensure the highest possible accuracy in refereeing decisions.
