The Video Assistant Referee: A Systems Perspective on IS Success and Failure

The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) as an information system (IS) supporting soccer referees is a success, at least according to the IS Success Model. However, football associations like Sweden discontinue its use mainly based on fan protests, such that it is also a failure, according to IS discontinuation literature. In this paper we analyze this paradox with a focus on the VAR in European soccer leagues. We provide a systems perspective emphasizing IS success and failure emerge from the dual role of IS: as internal components that enhance the functioning of a specific work system and as interconnected elements that interact with broader socio-technical systems, in our case professional soccer and a professional soccer match. This systems perspective complements the well-established variance and process perspectives enabling an analysis of success and failure in parallel.