We know VAR is broken
Premier League admit reviews take far too long and experience for fans in stadiums is dreadful
THE Premier League has admitted VAR needs fixing and vowed to speed up check times amid concerns over how the technology is being used.
The top flight has also raised major doubts over any imminent introduction of semi-automated offsides, saying it is not ‘totally comfortable’ with test results.
The application of VAR has been one of the most controversial aspects of the season — and the Premier League’s chief of football Tony Scholes conceded yesterday that it needs improving.
Liverpool and Arsenal have both taken the step of releasing official statements criticising VAR following decisions that did not go their way.
Scholes hit back yesterday, saying: ‘It doesn’t help when they have to go public with a statement when we are talking regularly. We do consult with managers and have two meetings a year and we do have a squad visit.’
The two key areas the Premier League wants to improve are the time it is taking for referees to make decisions after a VAR intervention and the in-stadium experience for fans once the technology has been called on.
Scholes said: ‘Being frank with you, decision times have increased this season and that’s alongside the increased scrutiny that is on the VARs alongside the result of a couple of high-profile decisions.
‘They are taking longer to check. We understand that but by training development we want them to focus on making a decision on the facts they see but not having to double or triple check.
‘The reviews are taking too long and it’s affecting the flow of the game and we’re extremely aware of that and the need to improve their speed, while always maintaining the accuracy.
‘The second area where the VAR experience is poor is the in-stadium experience for the supporter. It’s nowhere near good enough. We know it’s not.
‘We’re constrained by IFAB (International Football Association Board) at the moment. They are very clear on their rules as to what we can and can’t say, both during the VAR process and post VAR process. They’re very clear we cannot use the audio, we cannot play the audio.
‘My personal view is we’re on a journey and that will come and we’ll get to a point where both the video and the audio are played live and then played afterwards to explain the decision.
‘How far away from that we are, I don’t know. That’s not in our hands, that’s decided by IFAB, but we will continue to lobby them to get to a place where VAR is as open and informative to supporters if it’s possible to do so.
‘One development that we are expecting to come in imminently is that the referee will announce their decision, post-VAR review, to the crowd.’
On the possibility of the Premier League imposing a time limit on VAR checks, Scholes said: ‘I think it would be easy to implement a time limit, but whether or not it’s appropriate to do so…
‘My view is that the accuracy, particularly with the coaches and players where their livelihoods can sometimes depend on the accuracy of a decision, we never want to reduce that.’
Scholes also revealed that the Premier League is looking into links between the increase in muscular injuries and the amount of time players are inactive because of VAR checks.
And he revealed that the introduction of semi-automated offsides is still some way off.
The technology was implemented successfully at the 2022 World Cup yet Scholes added: ‘We don’t believe that will improve the accuracy of decision-making but what it will do is speed up the time of decision-making, so it will speed up the time of reviews and it’s extremely important in that regard. We’re testing at the moment and we hope to be going to clubs for a decision on that later on in the year.
‘I have to say that’s not a definite at the moment. The testing that we are doing at the moment has identified some areas that we’re not totally comfortable with and when we introduce semi-automated we want to be extremely certain that it will improve the situation and not detract from it in any manner.’
Asked if its implementation was unlikely to happen next season, Scholes replied: ‘No, I wouldn’t say that, but a decision hasn’t been made yet. We haven’t completed all our testing.’