Premier League managers 'preventing referees from explaining VAR decisions in stadiums'

Premier League managers vetoed the introduction of referees explaining VAR decisions to fans in stadiums during a meeting with PGMOL chief Howard Webb last month, according to reports.

Senior figures involved in the English top flight have spoken of the move as a way to improve the fan experience at matches, which many say has been made worse by the introduction of VAR in 2019.

According to the Telegraph, that specific proposal was dropped after managers expressed concerns that it would further lengthen the decision-making process. The report adds that the main complaint from bosses about VAR at a meeting over the summer was the time it takes to reverse or overturn the referee's initial decision.

Referees would have been given advance notice that their decisions would be announced live to the stadium crowd in 2024/25, but the new innovation was not presented when the Premier League published its list of changes on Wednesday.

The approved changes include more on-screen messages and replays of relevant incidents, more correspondence between the PGMOL and Premier League managers, and live explanations of decisions on social media.

The term 'referee's decision' has also been introduced to mean that VAR will only intervene if the referee on the pitch has 'beyond doubt' made a mistake. Premier League chief executive Tony Scholes said: “One of the difficulties with VAR over the last few years has been the lack of clarity about when VAR should or should not intervene.

“The referee's decision is really just an introduction to a terminology to make it clear that the referee's initial decision on the field is crucial.”

Howard Webb added: “The referee’s decision is important because it helps manage people’s expectations. We have situations that divide opinion and VAR can’t always provide definitive answers every time because the real world isn’t always right or wrong. So the referee’s decision clarifies the process for fans, managers and players, even if they don’t agree with the decision.”

Other changes to Premier League refereeing include the gradual introduction of semi-automated offside technology and the granting of a 30-second delay after a goal is scored without adding time, which should reduce the overall stoppage time in a match by an average of 90 seconds.

After being consulted as part of the improvement process, Premier League managers have been asked to refrain from harsh criticism of VAR for fear of damaging the competition. Arsenal criticised refereeing standards in a spontaneous statement last season, while Wolves voted to scrap VAR altogether.