Costa Rican VAR Review Reveals Errors, Progress, and Controversial Decisions

The introduction of VAR in Costa Rican football has already made a notable impact. Though it has only been in use for a few months, the technology has drawn controversy and attention. According to La Nación, the Referees Committee recently shared detailed statistics and admitted several officiating mistakes, while also highlighting improvements.

Out of the 118 matches played so far in the national tournament, VAR has intervened 57 times to correct referee decisions. Without it, an error would occur roughly every three games. With VAR, that rate has dropped to one mistake every 9.83 matches. In only 12 cases this season did VAR fail to correct an incorrect call.

One of the most controversial moments came during Matchday 22, when referee Keylor Herrera disallowed a legitimate goal by Gino Vivi in the Saprissa vs. Cartaginés match after a VAR review. The Referees Committee acknowledged the mistake, sparking outrage from Saprissa, who formally requested that the federation suspend the officials involved.

Committee president Enrique Osses emphasized that transparency and consistency are key to improving VAR usage. The goal is to reduce unresolved errors to just 6% of matches. Currently, that figure stands at 9%.

Osses also noted that Costa Rica's refereeing standards now align with those of top South American leagues such as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Colombia. While the VAR system is still in its early stages domestically, the committee sees encouraging signs of progress.