I think VAR has helped refs a bit at least, it shown people can still make a conflicting judgement even with the aid of a video replay, so what chance to they have in real time!
The problem is VAR refs are absolute brick, and the opportunity for abuse (they decide what they want to review or not, e.g. Allison handball outside box against us "ignored" by VAR)
The solution is so simple
- VAR needs to be 10X more accountable than on-field ref's, you fudge up up a VAR decision, your out
- The rules need to be adjusted to help VAR be accepted (being offside by a fudging arm hair is never going to be seen as "fair" by public)
- Switch VAR from self initiated to captain initiated (copy Tennis), players know when brick was wrong, 3 VAR challenges a match, if you challenge and are right, you keep the challenge, if wrong, you lose the challenge.
You can also cleanup the game by retroactive review (you can't change the results, but you could make the game better), e.g.
- Shaw hackdown of Lucas (I think) in our first United match this season -> retroactive red
- Salah and his ridiculous repeated diving -> retroactive warning -> 3 warnings -> sit out a game
- Review ref performance, behind doors or open, admit the refs are making mistakes, review/analyse with them, points system promotion/demotion between leagues
There simply is no real appetite for ref improvement in English football, and it stuns me how often (not always) in Europe I'm 40 minutes into the game and suddenly realize "wow, the ref isn't complete dogbrick"