Premier League Clubs Vote Against Using VAR In Top Flight Next Season, ‘Advanced Testing’ To Continue In FA Cup And EFL Cup

Chris Wright

13th, April 2018

2 Comments

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Premier League clubs have voted against the full-on introduction of video assistant referees (VAR) in the top flight for next season.

VAR has so far proved to be more trouble than it’s worth, with the referral system creating issues and hold-ups as well as failing to carry out the one task it was developed to do.

Instead, the Premier League themselves have announced they plan to continue running “further advanced tests” in the FA Cup and the League Cup to iron out what they call “communication problems” with the VAR procedure.

The good news is that FIFA have already confirmed that VAR will be used at the upcoming 2018 World Cup despite many of the referees and officials involved having zero real-game experience of using it heading into the tournament.

In short, it’s likely to get messy – which is either thoroughly entertaining or utterly exasperating, depending on how you choose to (re)view it.

Posted in Premier League

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2 Comments

  1. JP says:

    This is getting embarrassing. Implement it in whole, let the refs get used to it, and educate the dumb fucks who don’t understand it.

    Furthermore, why not do it like cricket or hockey? Both sides start with a set number of reviews. Think the ref made a mistake? Review it. Turns out ref was right? Shame, be more careful with your reviews. As I envision it, that system would go a way to ensure that time is not wasted too greatly. Until it’s cynically used for the sole purpose of wasting time…

  2. maria says:

    The problem so far is with the implementation. The idea was to avoid clear mistakes like Lampard’s ‘goal’ v Germany in 2010. It’s not supposed to be used to make sure every marginal decision is now correct. Use it sparingly and correctly and it’ll be useful.

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