VAR Hub: Inside Features of the Controversial Building With No Windows and 94 Televisions

• The VAR Hub was recently upgraded to have state-of-the-art facilities
• The technology has, however, stoked controversy since its introduction five years ago
• We take a look at what the VAR room looks like and what the officials do on matchdays

The Video Assistant Referee(VAR) remains the most divisive feature in modern-day football.

While many agree that it was a timely introduction to help referees make decisions, its implementation and usage has, more often than not, sparked controversy. None greater than the Tottenham Hotspur vs Liverpool match on September 30, where a valid Luiz Diaz goal was disallowed for an apparent offside.

TV replays often show a group of officials seated behind TV screens talking to the on-pitch. Where do they sit? Are they in close proximity to the stadium where the game is taking place? What processes do they follow before arriving at a decision?

Strangest sports: Top 10 weirdest sports in the world currently

Other Sports

The VAR Hub explained

Sports Brief delves into the VAR room that the Premier League dubbed the VAR Hub during its inception in 2019.

The hub is located in a central position at Stockley Park in West London. Every game has a VAR, the assistant VAR and a replay operator.

The room, which is windowless, is equipped with up to 94 television sets, but the aforementioned three officials only concentrate on the two or three in front of them. They have access to all the Premier League's broadcast cameras - one that shows the live feed and one that shows other angles with up to three-second delay.

Unlike what is beamed live for the viewers, the VAR feed doesn't have crowd noise to prevent him or her from being swayed by fans' cheers or boos.

In the event the VAR is reviewing a previous phase of play while the game is going on, the AVAR will take over the live feed momentarily until he or she is done.

Where to watch the FIFA World Cup in 2022: A guide on how to watch this year’s World Cup

Football

They test whether the technology is working by drawing the offside lines as the players warm up.

The officials use noise-cancelling headphones and the only conversation they have is when they are discussing a particular decision. They surrender their phones once they get into the hub and are not allowed to access any form of media until after the game is over.

Who designed the VAR HUb?

The referees' body, PGMOL, hired the Populous EMEA Design and Build team to design and build the hub.

"It’s a cutting-edge and completely bespoke elite performance facility, an environment where the best possible outcomes can be achieved in the VAR space to benefit the game," said PGMOL head Howard Webb.

The same company was the one that designed the Tottenham Hotspur stadium.

Apart from the in-game facilities, the hub is also equipped with a gym that allows the officials to maintain peak physical levels. There is also a massage area, a canteen and a tactics room where, surprisingly, the officials learn the various tactics teams use.

Who was the first woman to dunk in an official WNBA game?

NBA

How the VAR offside lines are drawn

Sports Brief has also reported that the officials use the hawk-eye’s virtual offside line technology to arrive at decisions. This technology is broken down into the gridline and the crosshair.

The former is straightforward, with a line being drawn on the last defender. Any opposing player who is over the line headed towards the goal is deemed offside.

But at times, the gridline fails to outrightly differentiate whether the attacking player is over the line or in a perfect and legal position - enter the crosshair.