Oops? Interdisciplinary Stories of Sociotechnical Error| Kicking Error Out of the Game: Video Assistant Referee as Technosolutionism

Abstract

The integration of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology into professional football (soccer) surfaces concerns about the nature and consequences of errors. VAR is designed to mitigate errors and enhance accuracy by verifying real-time on-field decisions through communication, video review, and automated tracking sensors. As a remedy, VAR attempts to enhance the objectivity of refereeing decisions by implementing a technosolutionist approach. Yet, the failures of VAR have created their own magnitude of error that some claim harms the essence of the beautiful game. Despite VAR’s aim to rectify “clear and obvious errors,” recent controversies highlight the subjectivity in characterizing errors. These enduring misjudgments surrounding VAR implementation have shifted the complex sociotechnical dynamics of the sport. In this study, we trace the production and responses of VAR to highlight the politics of “good enough” as technology reconfigures sport without complete error absolution. Given the global implementation of VAR, there is a reckoning for error to exist without the interference of technosolutionism, where joy is meant to be imperfect and not overturned because of technicality.