sport news How are VAR lines drawn? How do they decide when the ball is played forward? ... trends now
It's fair to say that a number of football fans were left bemused by VAR's decision to rule out Victor Torp's late winner for Coventry against Man United on Sunday.
VAR ruled that Haji Wright was offside by a fraction after he assisted Torp in the 121st minute at Wembley, with Coventry thinking they had finished a generational comeback to win 4-3.
Many argued that it 'ruined one of the greatest FA Cup moments ever', as the Red Devils eventually went on to win the semi-final after a 4-2 penalty shoot-out victory.
Fans quickly questioned the VAR process and there were even queries as to the position in which officials had drawn the line beside Aaron Wan-Bissaka's foot.
So, here, Mail Sport answers all the burning questions about VAR's offside process.
VAR ruled Coventry's extra-time winner in Sunday's FA Cup semi-final marginally offside and a source close to the PGMOL confirmed to Mail Sport that the decision was correct
The decision to rule Haji Wright offside during the clash at Wembley proved controversial
WHO IS IN THE VAR ROOM?
VAR may stand for 'Video Assistant Referee' but there are actually three officials who work together to help reach an on-field decision.
Firstly, the lead official judges the reviews, while the assistant continues to watch the match as the his colleague makes a decision.
Meanwhile, the third official is the Hawk-Eye operative and is tasked with controlling the VAR technology. They remain independent of the decision-making process.
HOW ARE THE LINES DRAWN?
As per the official Premier League website, VAR uses two-dimensional lines - one placed on the attacker and one on the defender - to make offside decisions.
A crosshair is used to identify the exact position of the offside line, so that the relevant body part can be accurately identified by the VAR.
VAR lines are drawn on the leading part of the defender and the leading part of the attacker with which they can score.
The decision also has a 'tolerance' level in favour of the attacker if the lines touch, which gives the forward the benefit of the doubt.
In that case, a green line would be shown, but the lines were not touching in the case of Wright and Wan-Bissaka, meaning there was no doubt.
So fine were the margins that Coventry boss Mark Robins joked Wright would have been considered onside had he cut his toenails.
