Despite a media push to abolish the VAR, the Premier League – with an overwhelming majority – is sticking with video evidence. This was officially announced by the league on Thursday afternoon.
In May, The Athletic revealed that Wolverhampton Wanderers were leading a push to abolish VAR as early as this summer. This was another reason why the annual general meeting this Thursday was eagerly awaited.
However, Wolves were apparently alone in their proposal: according to consistent media reports, 19 out of 20 Premier League clubs have spoken out against the abolition. A two-thirds majority – i.e. 14 out of 20 votes – would have been required to approve the motion.
However, a detailed discussion between the PGMOL referee commission, the Premier League and the clubs also led to the realization that the current approach could not be continued. Six key areas were identified to improve the VAR process for clubs and fans in the future.
The VAR should continue to only be consulted in special moments in order to break the flow of the game less frequently. The semi-automatic offside technology agreed for fall 2024 should also help to speed up decisions. In addition, a better service for fans in the stadium is being considered: referees will announce changed decisions audibly to the stadium and, if necessary, VAR interventions will also be shown on the video screens.
“Live video and audio broadcasts during VAR reviews” envisaged
In addition, referees are to be trained even better in order to further accelerate VAR interventions without influencing their accuracy. Transparency and communication should create additional understanding for VAR work – the disclosure of VAR discussions, as in La Liga, should also be an option.
In addition to the semi-automatic offside technology, the Premier League and PGMOL want to influence the IFAB “to enable live video and audio broadcasts during VAR reviews”. On August 17, just 90 days after the final Premier League matchday of the previous season, the new season kicks off on the island.
