{"id":214210,"date":"2026-07-12T13:55:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T11:55:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/?p=214210"},"modified":"2026-07-12T13:55:03","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T11:55:03","slug":"kovacevic-column-to-hell-with-football-when-you-dont-know-what-a-goal-is-or-when-the-match-is-over-or-how-var-destroyed-the-worlds-most-important-secondary-thing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/kovacevic-column-to-hell-with-football-when-you-dont-know-what-a-goal-is-or-when-the-match-is-over-or-how-var-destroyed-the-worlds-most-important-secondary-thing\/","title":{"rendered":"KOVA\u010cEVI\u0106 COLUMN: TO HELL WITH FOOTBALL WHEN YOU DON&#8217;T KNOW WHAT A GOAL IS OR WHEN THE MATCH IS OVER! (Or How VAR Destroyed the World&#8217;s Most Important Secondary Thing)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This year&#8217;s FIFA World Cup will be remembered as the most unpredictable in history&#8230; We literally had no idea\u2014neither when a goal was actually a goal, nor when the referee was finally going to blow the final whistle!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Which, naturally, are the two most important things in a game the English invented X years ago to be played in two halves, only for the Americans, Y years later, to turn it into a sport played in four quarters and lasting an indefinite amount of time\u2014essentially until the referee gets tired of jogging around and staring at that television sitting on a little stand next to the pitch. No atmosphere whatsoever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because the defining experience of this fresh, newly reinvented football lies precisely there\u2014in watching slow-motion replays on TV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Where referees usually see less than they did live.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And end up making even more ridiculous decisions than they made initially, despite the benefit of hindsight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-serbiantimes-info wp-block-embed-serbiantimes-info\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"4mSoxRhhDl\"><a href=\"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/novak-otvorio-dusu-muka-mi-je-od-te-price-da-moram-da-osvojim-25-titulu-ne-moram-video\/\">NOVAK OTVORIO DU\u0160U: Muka mi je od te pri\u010de da moram da osvojim 25. titulu! Ne moram! (VIDEO)<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"\u201eNOVAK OTVORIO DU\u0160U: Muka mi je od te pri\u010de da moram da osvojim 25. titulu! Ne moram! (VIDEO)\u201c \u2014 Serbiantimes.info\" src=\"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/novak-otvorio-dusu-muka-mi-je-od-te-price-da-moram-da-osvojim-25-titulu-ne-moram-video\/embed\/#?secret=cJp5UDWbbh#?secret=4mSoxRhhDl\" data-secret=\"4mSoxRhhDl\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, instead of screaming, jumping, and celebrating goals in euphoria, the crowd first scratches its head, then bites its tongue, then nervously chews its nails while waiting to hear what the magical TV has to say\u2014the one the referee can&#8217;t even be bothered to run to. No, he strolls over at a snail&#8217;s pace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So the poor fans, already traumatized, frustrated, and blessed with lifelong nervous tics, either celebrate or mourn the replay like a reheated corpse!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nothing could be more natural&#8230; except perhaps an igloo in Bermuda!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But that&#8217;s not all&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because if the opposing team decides to object, the whole thing drags on for another ten minutes while every witness, victim, and prosecutor is &#8220;heard,&#8221; and footage from all 32 camera angles is reviewed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fluid, entertaining, and dynamic\u2014about as much as the Serbian national football team&#8217;s style of play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But who cares if football has lost its rhythm and natural flow when FIFA&#8217;s piggy bank is fuller than ever before?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thanks precisely to the doubled advertising revenue, which has transformed the sport we once knew as football into something entirely different\u2014a game that hasn&#8217;t even been given a proper name yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Allow me, therefore, to be its godfather and suggest the obvious:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-serbiantimes-info wp-block-embed-serbiantimes-info\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"nGYlJdEIhR\"><a href=\"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/pilot-plakao-posle-drame-u-avionu-putnik-iz-srbije-umalo-ispao-kroz-prozor-novi-detalji-i-sok-rasplet-video\/\">PILOT PLAKAO POSLE DRAME U AVIONU: Putnik iz Srbije umalo ispao kroz prozor &#8211; novi detalji i \u0161ok rasplet! (VIDEO)<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"\u201ePILOT PLAKAO POSLE DRAME U AVIONU: Putnik iz Srbije umalo ispao kroz prozor \u2013 novi detalji i \u0161ok rasplet! (VIDEO)\u201c \u2014 Serbiantimes.info\" src=\"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/pilot-plakao-posle-drame-u-avionu-putnik-iz-srbije-umalo-ispao-kroz-prozor-novi-detalji-i-sok-rasplet-video\/embed\/#?secret=0QPWZTmYe7#?secret=nGYlJdEIhR\" data-secret=\"nGYlJdEIhR\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>VAR FOOTBALL!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And from now on, the trophies won by future Messis should absolutely be shaped like TV screens! Maybe with a few falling dollar bills visible on them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because that&#8217;s what it&#8217;s really all about\u2014His Royal Highness, Television.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because of television, matches kick off at noon when they shouldn&#8217;t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because of television, football is played like water polo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because of television, goals are celebrated like paying for groceries in installments\u2014delayed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instead of leading football into the bright future everyone promised, VAR has dragged the sport backward\u2014in pace, beauty, logic, and, most absurdly of all, fairness\u2014even though it was introduced to achieve exactly the opposite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The gods of football, however, weren&#8217;t satisfied with that. They added a pinch of politics to all these gimmicks and kitsch, just to shatter the last illusion we had about what was once our favorite sport and present the New Football Order in all its glory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The true dimensions of that Order became clear the day FIFA and Gianni Infantino, following a phone call from Trump, lifted the suspension of the banned American striker. (Who, by the way, wasn&#8217;t shown a red card for a &#8220;verbal offense,&#8221; but because he nearly broke that little Bosnian player&#8217;s leg.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At that moment, all the masks came off, and everything became crystal clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But, as usually happens in cowboy-style happy-ending movies, stubborn pride kicked in, and the Belgians saved football. They gave the American footballers a proper beating\u2014and with them, the man most responsible for their defeat: the President of the United States!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And finally, a message to the gods of football, to Infantino and the Untouchables&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If they truly want to stop the decline of the world&#8217;s most popular sport, continue stuffing billions into their piggy banks, and make us happy by giving us back the game they stole, they will urgently have to return VAR to where it belongs\u2014to television\u2014and football to those it belongs to: the footballers and the fans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Source:<\/strong> Antonije Kova\u010devi\u0107 <strong>Foto:<\/strong> Simon Hofmann\/Fifa via Getty Images<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><mark style=\"background-color:#FFFFFF;color:#d21414\" class=\"has-inline-color\">MORE TOPICS:<\/mark><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/ministry-of-croatian-veterans-serbia-is-mocking-us-they-do-not-want-to-cooperate-at-all\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">MINISTRY OF CROATIAN VETERANS: Serbia is mocking us, they do not want to cooperate at all!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/fuel-in-serbia-the-most-expensive-in-the-region-here-is-how-much-petroleum-derivatives-are-cheaper-in-neighboring-countries\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">FUEL IN SERBIA THE MOST EXPENSIVE IN THE REGION: Here is how much petroleum derivatives are cheaper in neighboring countries!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/our-children-adore-you-you-are-a-wonderful-role-model-jelena-dokovic-sent-powerful-words-of-support-to-auger-aliassime\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">\u201cOUR CHILDREN ADORE YOU, YOU ARE A WONDERFUL ROLE MODEL\u201d: Jelena \u0110okovi\u0107 sent powerful words of support to Auger-Aliassime!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/sve-se-to-radi-smisljeno-ovo-je-veliki-atak-na-mene-ocu-poginulog-radnika-iz-lucana-istovarili-gomilu-djubriva-ispred-kuce\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">\u201cEVERYTHING IS BEING DONE DELIBERATELY, THIS IS A HUGE ATTACK ON ME\u201d: A pile of manure dumped in front of the house of the father of the deceased worker from Lu\u010dani!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/there-is-justice-for-students-after-all-veljko-petrovic-acquitted-of-charges-for-attacking-the-dean-of-dif\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">THERE IS JUSTICE FOR STUDENTS AFTER ALL: Veljko Petrovi\u0107 acquitted of charges for attacking the dean of DIF!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This year&#8217;s FIFA World Cup will be remembered as the most unpredictable in history&#8230; We literally had no idea\u2014neither when a goal was actually a goal, nor when the referee was finally going to blow the final whistle! Which, naturally, are the two most important things in a game the English invented X years ago [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":214211,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[86,1950,13506],"class_list":["post-214210","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breaking","tag-fudbal","tag-svetsko-prvenstvo","tag-var","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO 5.0.1.1 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This year&#039;s FIFA World Cup will be remembered as the most unpredictable in history... 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