Prem League referees will announce the outcome of all decisions reviewed on pitchside monitors in the top flight next season, the PA news agency understands
Referees will announce the outcome of all decisions reviewed on pitchside monitors in the Premier League next season, according to PA news agency.
This move by the English top flight follows an initial trial at the 2023 Women’s World Cup and further testing in last season’s FA Cup, Carabao Cup and EFL play-off finals.
The initiative is intended to provide additional information to fans inside stadiums and to television viewers, with top-flight managers and clubs understood to have been informed about this and other law changes at ongoing meetings ahead of the new season.
It is understood that the Premier League approach will differ slightly from last season’s domestic cup trials because factual onside and offside decisions will not be announced.
Whenever a VAR recommends the on-field official should review the decision, an announcement will be made regardless of whether the referee sticks with the original decision, or chooses to overturn it.
PA understands the announcements are set to begin with the words “after review”, before going on to provide explanation and ending with the final outcome.
The two-way discussion between referees and VARs will still not be available, as the game’s lawmaking body, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) does not permit this.
However, the on-field announcements of final decisions are a further step towards transparency, a key goal of Howard Webb, the chief refereeing officer at Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL).
The update follows the reduction in VAR errors last season to 18, down from 31 the previous season. Errors are categorised as instances where, according to the independent Key Match Incidents (KMI) panel, VARs either overturned a correct decision made on the pitch or failed to step in to correct an incorrect decision.
There were 35 such errors in the 2022-23 season.
The average VAR delay per match last season was 39 seconds, a decrease from 64 in the 2023-24 season. This figure could potentially decrease further with a full season of semi-automated offside technology being utilised.
The Premier League has been contacted for a comment.