The introduction of VAR has seen a massive fall in the number of refereeing errors, bookings, red cards, simulation and wasted time in Serie A.
The figures were released by the FIGC and Lega Serie A after the first season of the new technology in action.
“The percentage of errors in Serie A this season was 0.89 per cent, compared to 5.78 per cent that would’ve been verified without the use of VAR.”
It was used in 397 games between Serie A and the Coppa Italia, with 2,023 checks made and 117 decisions overturned.
The introduction of VAR has seen a massive fall in the number of refereeing errors, bookings, red cards, simulation and wasted time in Serie A.
The figures were released by the FIGC and Lega Serie A after the first season of the new technology in action.
“The percentage of errors in Serie A this season was 0.89 per cent, compared to 5.78 per cent that would’ve been verified without the use of VAR.”
It was used in 397 games between Serie A and the Coppa Italia, with 2,023 checks made and 117 decisions overturned.
The Coverciano ground is also used as a hub to train referees on using VAR for the 2018 World Cup, which begins next week in Russia.
“The results are extraordinary, especially with reference to the statistics of refereeing corrections. We can still improve in the technology and the way we communicate with fans, making VAR even more reliable,” said Lega Serie A and FIFA Refereeing Project Leader Roberto Rosetti.
It was calculated that VAR decisions took an average of 1 minute and 22 seconds during the first three rounds, but over the season that was lowered considerably to just 31.5 seconds.
It added to the time of games (an additional 13 seconds on average), but was cancelled out by a massive gain of 43 seconds of effective play.
There was a drop of 12.3 per cent in yellow cards issued (1,719 in the 2016-17 campaign, compared to 1,508 this season) and an even bigger drop of 35.3 per cent in simulation (137 down to 113).
There was only one red card for dissent this season, compared to 11 last year, with overall dismissals down 7.1 per cent.