One of the most hotly debated topics in European football is finally coming to a head.

VAR, or Video Assistant Referee, continues to spread throughout the continent, beginning in Germany and Portugal, with La Liga, one of the two best leagues in the world, fully committed to the technology's implementation next year. However, the main controversy that has rattled around nearly every news cycle and talk show in England would be the technology's use in the FA Cup, where multiple controversies over the Liverpool-West Brom game sparked a fiery debate on the seemingly-impending and inevitable use of VAR worldwide, including at this summer's World Cup. However, English fans can gain perspective from that of American football, where replay review has been an intrinsic piece of the game for many years, and although it was initially welcomed wholeheartedly, voices of dissent over the last couple of seasons have risen to the forefront. Here's why it won't help the game as much as hurt it.

1. Referees Will Officiate As If They Get A Second Chance

This issue has especially plagued the NFL in recent years. Often knowing that the play will be reviewed, NFL officials will make a call that they would not if there was no replay review, harming the integrity of the process. For example, even if a play appeared long dead, officials will allow a player to carry back a fumble the full length of the field for the review. In Europe, this could mean the most controversial calls, including handball and penalty decisions, will be officiated out of fear and leaning on VAR.

2. There Will Be A Hint Of Doubt

Imagine watching a tightly contested game, and late on your favorite player wheels away in celebration after an incredible goal to seal the victory. In the game today, fans can unabashedly celebrate with everything they have. However, after VAR begins taking away goals, fans will be programmed to subtly keep in the corner of their mind that the play will be coming back. The same has been true for years in the NFL, where fans expect a review on every scoring play, diminishing the excitement of a score.

3. The Stated Rules Will Not Be Followed

Language of the rules becomes critically important in controversial sports decisions. Namely, the "unnatural position" of the handball rule or the "survive the ground" catch rule often comes to the forefront when broadcasters discuss the review of a play. The most important language in NFL review is "indisputable video evidence", which means a decision should not be overturned unless there has been an egregious mistake in the rules. Recently, however, this has gone completely out the window, as even the most disputable 50/50 calls are often overturned. Its come to the point to where if a broadcaster uses this as an argument that a play should stand, it seems a moot point, as officials have set the precedent that they are simply going to do what they think to be correct, regardless of this rule, which hurts the game's integrity. VAR came in with a very similar intent, with the language stating that there must be a "clear officiating mistake" to change an on-field decision, but this has already been violated, as can be seen through Liverpool-West Brom.

4. Every Call Will Not Be Correct

Proponents of VAR often utilize their rallying cry of "why wouldn't anyone want the right decision". Although replay review can help avoid the most blown calls in a game, often times review creates the controversy, not eliminate it. Countless plays will not have been questioned until a poor replay decision creates a firestorm. The similarities between the history of VAR and NFL reviews are striking. Both came in because we had a utopian desire to remove bad officiating from the game, then both began with the on-field official making a decision (before the NFL moved it to a replay studio in New York, and the PL will inevitably do the same with London eventually), before overuse of the system and the misinterpretation of its rules created more problems than it solved. The Premier League should heed the warnings of the past that the temptation of replay review, no matter how hard one tries to convince themselves betters the game, in fact does not, but harms the fabric of the sport.