Var has caused a number of controversies this Premier League season. Photo: Getty Images/Alex Pantling
Football lawmakers have begun talks over the first major changes to how video assistant referees work, amid growing calls for an overhaul or scrapping of the system.
Managers united in condemnation after a series of controversial decisions and Telegraph Sport can reveal that:< /p>
- The board of the International Football Association (Ifab) has launched a series of consultations on what changes should be made ahead of the Var's first major overhaul since its introduction seven years ago.< /li>
- The game still faces another year of chaos, and any proposed changes will almost certainly be tested before they are implemented.
- There is growing confidence that one change that will be made is the introduction of semi-automatic offside. in the Premier League ahead of next season.
Vara has dominated the Premier League this season, with Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Gary O'Neill being furious after decisions were made against them last weekend.
The League Managers Association this week called for changes and Ifab, which sets the rules followed by national bodies such as the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), confirmed two weeks ago that a “protocol review panel” would be looking into whether any or change.
However, it may turn out that consultations have already begun, which will contribute to the functioning of the body. As reported by Telegraph Sport, negotiations have so far been limited to a small group including representatives of UEFA and other continental confederations, but representatives of the Premier League will join them in the coming weeks.
Official recommendations will then be presented to Ifab itself, possibly in time for its annual general meeting in March.
However, any proposed changes are unlikely to be implemented next season as Ifab has historically carried out trials before amending regulations Laws of the game
This may not be enough to reassure Premier League managers amid Ware's string of controversial decisions in English top-flight and European matches.
This is compounded by the inconsistent application of protocols domestically and across Europe, particularly when it comes to handball and red cards.
Any Premier League input into the consultation would likely involve lobbying for Var's live broadcast as Howard Webb , head of PGMOL, previously confirmed that he was “pushing” for this.
Howard Webb is the man responsible for implementing Var in English football. Photo: Getty Images/Alex Livesey
Webb has already been forced to change PGMOL's own communications protocols following the Liverpool offside goal fiasco in September, a saga senior officials are banking on convincing. Top clubs will introduce semi-automatic offside next season.
Premier League teams voted against introducing the technology already used in the World Cup and Champions League this summer, but confidence is growing that it will be introduced next season .
PGMOL is also facing calls from managers to pair a referee with the same Var as often as possible, as is currently the case with assistant referees, and to clarify the threshold for overturning “clear and obvious” errors.
Some managers could not resist In his criticism of Ware and West Ham United, David Moyes said on Friday that nothing more had been said because they had been ignored, fined or both.
“We believe not we get a lot back when we give it to officials or anyone else,” he said.
“Several major incidents were noted. , but this is mainly in top clubs. As if people don't think that some other clubs have the same problems, the same War problems, the same decision making. It doesn't have the same flair. We are all very disappointed with the response we received.
“We don't want to do this because managers will be fined for speaking out of turn. Most managers don't want to say anything about it because we know we're locked in.
“If clubs or managers decide to have a temper tantrum then it is their choice and they can do it.”
Four Ways to Fix Var
Ben Rumsby
Simplify the concept of “clear and obvious error”
In their list of demands for a review of Var during negotiations with Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL), Premier League managers called for “a review [and simplification] of the interpretation of the term 'clear and obvious' in the Var decision-making process.” , as this is currently the cause of much confusion.” It followed frustration over what they saw as inconsistency in overturning such errors, with highly controversial decisions such as Newcastle United's winner award against Arsenal on Saturday being upheld despite Joelinton's pressure on Gabriel , when Vars intervened in seemingly less obvious incidents. The situation is made worse by a different interpretation in UEFA competitions: Manchester United missed out on a questionable penalty and red cards on Wednesday, while Liverpool failed to equalize on Thursday due to a controversial handball.
Practice. more specialized Vars
Howard Webb, the PGMOL's chief referee, had already committed to doing so even before Premier League managers called for a referee to be paired with the same Ware whenever possible, as is currently the case with assistant referees. Webb's efforts are hampered by International Football Association Council rules that only a current or former referee can fill the role. Whether they are paired with the same judges or not, more and better trained Wars can only be a good thing.
More technology, not less
Liverpool's offside goal fiasco in September provided a compelling argument for Premier League clubs to stop resisting the introduction of semi-automatic offside technology. The powers that be are now counting on teams to vote on whether to include him next season. It would also allow footage of the technology to be shown on the stadium's big screen, as is currently the case in the top flight should any decision be overturned. Why not expand on this so that spectators at games can see what the referee is looking at when he goes to the sideline to check the pitchside monitor?
Conversations between officials are broadcast live
Encourages discussion between was broadcast by match officials long before Ware, but the Tottenham Hotspur-Liverpool game was perhaps the most convincing argument in favor of this. In fact, by allowing as many people as possible to hear such a conversation, the alarm may even be noticed before it is deemed too late. The ability to eavesdrop on discussions between referees and match officials on television or third umpires has done nothing but increase the popularity of rugby union and cricket, but football, the most popular of all sports, continues to live in the dark ages in this regard.< /p>
Recent Comments