Premier League clubs have voted to preserve the use of VAR in the competition and pledged to improve the performance of the technology “for the benefit of the game and supporters”.
Wolverhampton Wanderers’ motion that the league should abandon VAR was rejected by clubs, who voted 19-1 to keep it, with the league proposing a number of tweaks to the system instead.
Foremost among the measures will be the introduction in October of semi-automated offside technology, which is expected to reduce delays in decision-making that have disrupted matches. The league has also promised a new “fan and stakeholder communication campaign” to aid understanding of the purpose and use of VAR.
In a statement the league said: “Premier League clubs today voted in favour of continuing to operate VAR in the Premier League. While VAR produces more accurate decision making, it was agreed that improvements should be made for the benefit of the game and supporters.
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“As part of thorough discussions at the annual general meeting, it was agreed that PGMOL [Professional Game Match Officials Limited], the Premier League and clubs all have important roles to play in improving the system and its reputation.”
The league has announced six areas in which it hopes to improve VAR performance after a season in which the average delay in decision making increased by more than 50 per cent.
The biggest initiative will be the adoption of semi-automated offside technology after the autumn international break. It will use dedicated in-stadium cameras to calculate the position of a receiving player when a pass is played and end the need for VAR officials drawing manual lines to determine offsides. It has been predicted to reduce the average time taken to calculate an offside decision by more than half a minute.
Other changes largely relate to communication. From next season referees will be able to announce the reason for a VAR overturn, such as handball or offside, providing a small improvement in the stadium experience for fans. The league says it also hopes to provide “an enhanced offering of big-screen replays to include all VAR interventions”.
There will also be increased communication through the media, including the established Match Officials Mic’d Up broadcast on which the head of PGMOL, Howard Webb, talks through the most controversial decisions. A public communication plan is also promised to “further clarify VAR’s role in the game to participants and supporters”. Plans to improve training in VAR for match officials will also continue.
The league’s six proposals have been anticipated, and there will be expectation that they deliver a real upturn in the performance of a system that is increasingly frustrating clubs and spectators. – Guardian
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