Carte blanche given to Tony Chapron

Tony Chapron is a well-known figure due to his career as a professional referee and his constant criticism of video assistant referee (VAR) use. He answered our questions about the (still little investigated) trajectory of this technology, and about the current controversies that it generates, despite initial widespread but barely questioned enthusiasm about it. We gave Tony Chapron carte blanche because of his perceptiveness about past, present, and future developments of refereeing. This interview complements the analysis of how the media dealt with the topic of VAR during the two most recent FIFA World Cups. These two academic contributions provide us with some socio-historical elements that can improve our understanding of the controversial implementation of VAR in soccer.