Match officials are battling to stay out of the headlines these days.

Whether it’s rugby or football, most games are followed by furious debate – not on the merits of the players, but rather on whether the right referring calls were made, and if they were made fast enough. 

Since the highly controversial Rugby World Cup final, which was dominated by TMO decisions, we’ve also seen VAR’s use in the Premier League take a walloping from pundits. 

VAR and TMO are essentially video-assisted referees who watch replays of moments in a match to ensure the best possible calls are being made.  

But this drive for greater accuracy has led to critics complaining that flow and soul of the game is being stolen by match officials sitting in a studio staring at computer monitors.

Newstalk ZB sports journalist Andrew Alderson breaks down the controversy of the big calls changing our most popular sports.    

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