VAR – short for video-assisted referee has been a living nightmare to a lot of Twitter and Facebook users. VAR is a football assistant referee who reviews decisions made by the head referee with the use of video footage and a headset for communication. Many have seen VAR being put to use during this year’s Fifa World Cup tournament.
After the World Cup, Mzansi’s social media users were quick to put VAR to some more use and started pointing out hidden mistakes in people’s pictures or posts. VAR trended for weeks, causing embarrassment for users whose slip-ups would normally go unnoticed. Once the errors were depicted, users were either given a red card or told to proceed with whatever they were doing regardless of their blunders.
Although the trend was all fun and games to some, it caused a lot of embarrassment to others. With many refraining from posting pictures due to the fear of being embarrassed.
Legitimate as it seemed, some of the social media victims pointed out that pictures on VAR were photoshopped (edited). One of the victims, Dima MabunaTau Phahlane celebrated her birthday last week. She took to Facebook and posted a picture of herself in sexy lingerie surrounded by balloons all over the bed. Seconds later, the picture trended on Facebook and Twitter under the #VAR.
https://twitter.com/bahdboytinkaR/status/1027451325804687360
The caption of the picture read: “We were just cuddling all day” but the apparent VAR spotted a condom under the sheet covers on the bed. But unlike other victims who just let the posts slide, Phahlane was quick to notice that her picture was Photoshopped. She posted the original picture and the edited picture to show the difference. Unlike the edited version, the original picture’s caption read: “Babe made me feel so loved today” with no condom on the bed covers.
She went on and demanded that the person who edited the picture must issue an apology on all social media platforms. She wrote: “He must issue an apology on all social media platforms the same way he went viral on me, hope his friends help him again because boy I’m about to open a case against you.”
It was not long after that Rantsho Mohale issued an apology. He said: “Dima MabunaTau Phahlane I apologise for editing your photo and posting it as a #VAR meme. What I did was wrong and I am sorry. I will not try to justify it, I am sorry and I regret it.” Here are a few others..
https://twitter.com/badgalmaddie_/status/1029825308231446529
Twitter Var Will Humble Y'all😂 pic.twitter.com/6Yy0wfuzNj
— Weezy F Baby (@DwayneTunechi7) August 6, 2018
#TwitterVAR strikes again !! 🤣🤣🤣my innn 😀 pic.twitter.com/f7lg8fSPNW
— Nana 👨🏽⚕️ (@iykcony) August 9, 2018
#TwitterVAR This is just getting too much pic.twitter.com/4R8yN2DjZT
— Fer Rouq (@SocialOutcast47) August 7, 2018
According to Twitter VAR the barber was drunk 😔 😢 😭 😂 pic.twitter.com/nbzcgSrAcP
— Man's Not Barry Roux (@AdvBarryRoux) August 12, 2018
However not all ‘decisions’ lead into penalties..
No foul.
Twitter VAR. Referee inducates "ball on. "#TweeterVAR pic.twitter.com/vKH7GpjeU1— Habibi (@is_herq) August 6, 2018
Some are ruthless though..
https://twitter.com/badgalmaddie_/status/1027629075198881792