unmuted

Mila Scotto

If you know anything about soccer, weather it be you watched a game as a casual viewer just because of the world cup, or you are a religious watcher that wakes up at the crack of dawn just to watch your favorite team play; you know about VAR, also known as the visual assistant referee which has practically become its own player in the sport. Fans everywhere around the world (including myself) have had a moment where we stare and scream at the TV waiting for the refs to make the most important call and decision of the game. For us fans, it either ends really great or causes us to curse a little too loud that our family thinks bloody murder just happened. Some people debate that VAR is truly saving the game, others believe it’s ruining the job of the referees. No matter how you feel, we all can accept that the AI powered VAR is changing the sport of soccer in big ways. 

what even is VAR?

VAR basically acts like an editor for an author, but in our context; a second set of eyes (sometimes blind eyes…) for the referees; using video playbacks to determine and review major decisions like redcards, penalties, offsides, and goals. Behind the ear piece the referees wear lies AI. Yes, artificial intelligence; the same type of technology that pushes videos we like on our for you page on tiktok which makes us binge for hours and hours is also helping refs decide whether a team is lucky or just plain unlucky. 

VAR is just one side of the story just like how every other fairy tale is. The real plot twist we have on our hands is how AI is taking over the entire soccer universe, referees, injuries, analytics, and scouting is all changing and will continue to change in the next following years. 

“AI-driven video analytics help referees make more consistent and fair decisions, which was historically challenging due to human error or limited viewing angles.”
— Smith & Jones, Sports Technology Journal

Hey.. It’s Kinda like Reading a Novel!According to https://fcbusiness.co.uk/ , AI has become a team scouts’ new best friend. Instead of sending some scout dude to watch a third division match out in the pouring and freezing rain, teams, especially scouts can now review players using advanced AI tools to basically track eye catching players every fiber, movement, and questionable choices made on the field during that specific match. 

Clubs can now analyze any player they could ask for in a matter of minutes.  Imagine never having to read a book again in your life to know every single detail, right at your fingertips… Sounds nice right? Yeah, well that’s basically what AI for soccer encompasses for many teams right now. Something that took humans many coffee breaks and months to process and to make decisions, is now happening in minutes.  

LaLiga took it even further (they always do)

LaLiga (the Spanish first division soccer league) is basically turning into a Scifi Movie. They have been starting to use AI powered camera systems that track players and the ball with insane microscopic precision, like “I know what you are gonna do before you even do it” type of precision. It’s basically dramatic irony for the players, but it truly aids and helps teams improve their performance and win a trophy for once (yeah I’m talking to you Atletico Madrid…)

LaLiga has also implemented this artificial intelligence to predict match intensity, create heat maps of the field, and even detect offside lines faster and more accurately than the refs.  It’s better to hate a robot than a human am I right?? It is great for fans.. And terrible for the fans that thought their team would get away with anything sneaky or any monkey business. 

So… Is AI saving soccer or ruining it?

Honestly… It truly depends on who you ask. 

Coaches love it because it helps them get the best players on the market, detect player injuries, gives them data they have only dreamed of, and honestly make the play making job way easier. Scouts love it because they can stay inside and not watch boring matches. Players love it because it gives them their player analytics and can help prevent injuries. Broadcasters love it because every replay of any play now looks like it belongs in a 4K movie production. 

Fans, though? Well yeah that’s the tricky part. We are 50/50. Some days VAR calls feel like justice and we are dancing literally on clouds. Other days, it feels like the universe is going to end on our watch and wants our team to burn in inferno, we just know our friends are going to be bullying us for days after that play gets called, and we ultimately lose that unlucky battle. But whether we like it or not, AI has made its stance in our favorite sport(s), it’s big, bold and loud. It’s changing soccer as we speak from the training ground to the scouts’ decisions to the referees ear piece.   

Who knows… maybe one day AI can even help my favorite team stop giving me a heart attack every time we play (yes, I’m talking about you. Manchester United.) 

 Well. A girl can dream. 

Bibliography

“How Artificial Intelligence Is Changing Football Analytics and Scouting – Fcbusiness.” Fcbusiness – …Because Football Is No Ordinary Business, 25 July 2025, fcbusiness.co.uk/news/how-artificial-intelligence-is-changing-football-analytics-and-scouting/.

Thomson Reuters. “Soccer-LaLiga Leads AI Evolution with Global Outreach.” WSAU News/Talk 550 AM · 99.9 FM | Wausau, Stevens Point, 2 Apr. 2025, wsau.com/2025/04/02/soccer-laliga-leads-ai-evolution-with-global-outreach/. Accessed 26 Nov. 2025.