For years, the beautiful game of soccer always had teams and players that were fun to watch. But recently that has started to change. The game is played differently thanks to VAR (video assistant referee) and the blue card, money has started to ruin a lot of the big teams, and the formats for some of the biggest competitions have been adjusted. All these changes seem to be changing the game for the worse.

First off VAR seems useful, but some of the calls are really questionable. It assists the referee by using video footage to help check things such as fouls, offsides, or free kicks. It was introduced during the 2010 World Cup. Originally not many mistakes were made. However, recently in the Premier League, VAR is acting more as a menace rather than assistant. For instance, when Manchester City took on Tottenham Hotspur on December 3rd, 2023, the match ended with a 3-3 draw. However, Manchester City should’ve won the match. The ref misjudged a pass from Haaland to Grealish and thought it was offside after Grealish scored, which prevented City from winning. Because VAR has robbed too many teams of victory for its poor decisions, its harms outweigh its benefits.

Another unnecessary change is the addition of the blue card, which was introduced this season by the IFAB (International Football Association Board). As most soccer fans know, there are two main penalty cards, the yellow card and the red card. The yellow card is given as a warning after the player has done something that they shouldn’t have done, such as reckless play, disrespect to opponents, etc. A red card can be given if a player gets a second yellow card or for serious play that is considered just unacceptable. A second yellow card results in a one game suspension, while a straight red is a two game suspension. A new card, the blue card, is shown when a player does something serious but not serious enough for a second yellow card. After a player receives a blue card they go to a “sin box” or penalty box for 10 minutes. In the game this makes really no sense. Sending a player out for ten minutes doesn’t do anything. This card is an actual joke.

Originally joining a team was based on passion, but in the last few years, moving to a team seems to be based on money. Last year, Ronaldo joined Al Nassar for more than 200 million dollars a year! But an even bigger shock was Neymar moving. By doing this, he showed how much he cared about money. Even with many European teams wanting him, he rejected them after Al Hilal offered over a 100 million dollars. Now Neymar and Ronaldo are above the age of 30 and have won many trophies, so these moves can be justified. Yet some other moves are completely out of the blue. Allan Saint-Maximin had been having a good season with Newcastle after getting fourth in the Premier League, which meant next season he would be playing in the UEFA Champions League. It is regarded as the highest football tournament in the world. But even after this, Saint-Maximin decided to go to Saudi Arabia after they offered him a couple million. This really shows that players care about money and not passion. Another example would be Gabri Vega. Currently 21 years old, Vega is playing in Saudi Arabia. But after the season he had last year, many were surprised about his move. His past team Celta Vigo was 18th in La Liga and didn’t have much time. If you’re 18th or lower, you get relegated to the second division of the country you’re playing in. But Gabri Vega managed to carry them to 13th and ended with 15 goals and assists as Center Midfielder! He had many offers from big teams but chose to go to Saudi Arabia. As a result, it seems other players are starting to do this. Money shouldn’t make you join a team, and this lack of loyalty is destroying the game of soccer.
Next season a lot of competitions have also been revealed to be changing. For example, the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the biggest sporting event of the year, had a format of eight groups and the best two teams advancing into the knockout stage. However, a new format was recently announced. For the 2026 World Cup, there will be 48 teams instead of the previous 36 and rather than groups of four teams it may be groups of three teams. There is a chance the third team would be able to advance. This change to the tournament is weird, confusing, and unnecessary.

With all these changes it seems the game is changing for the worse. Some of these can be fixed. Some may have no solution. For soccer lovers, only time will tell where the great game goes from here.