Video assisted refereeing, or VAR, is a topic the provokes strong opinions amongst followers of football. It uses video and computers in an effort to eliminate refereeing errors. Many people in this country started to call for it after a World Cup game in 201o against Germany when England were denied a goal because the referee did not realise the ball had crossed the line. What they perhaps did not realise is that it takes time to do a VAR check; it is not unusual now to have to wait several minutes to know whether a goal should stand. I hate VAR and would gladly see it abolished. I am pleased to report that the Bishop of Manchester has joined me in condemning it as sinful and offence against God and Man (Utd). Sort of... It was in a Thought for the Day and the point he was making was making mistakes is part of being human and we need to accept that. As a scientist, I can hardly condemn technology; wise use of it makes our lives much better, be it doing my research or writing a sermon. However, we must be careful that it does not detract from our own humanity. In the case of football, it is accepting that disputed decisions are part of the game; the instant joy (or despair) is what makes it compelling to watch. Perhaps there are even lessons that ultimately we as humans cannot take the role of God in a quest for perfection. England did have a goal wrongly disallowed which VAR would have prevented, but they only scored it because of a foul in the build up, which VAR would not have spotted.