English top flight bosses vote to bring in VAR from next season
PREMIER League clubs have agreed in principle to introduce Video Assistant Referees from next season.
At yesterday’s shareholders’ meeting in London, clubs were presented with an update on the non-live VAR trials which have been taking place, while the system’s use in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup as well as other major leagues was discussed.
A formal request will now be made to both lawmakers the International Football Association Board and Fifa, the world governing body, to use VAR next season.
The Premier League said in a statement that its “non-live testing programme will remain in place for the rest of this season, with a continued emphasis on those Saturday afternoons which have several matches being played concurrently and developing a clear protocol for communicating VAR decisions to fans”.
VAR technology was used at the 2018 World Cup finals in Russia and, following some initial teething problems, it was generally viewed to have been a success.
The German Bundesliga and Serie A in Italy both already have VAR, while Uefa is set to bring it in for the Champions League from 2019/2020.
Meanwhile, The Premier League has agreed to pay its outgoing boss Richard Scudamore a leaving gift of £5 million in recognition of his “outstanding work”.
In a statement, the league said the golden handshake was made by its audit and remuneration committee and “supported and endorsed by the clubs”..
The money will be paid over three years and will depend on the 59-year-old agreeing to a “comprehensive set of non-compete clauses” in terms of the roles he takes on in the future.
He has also agreed to remain available to his successor Susanna Dinnage “in an advisory capacity”.
The statement added that the farewell bonus was “in recognition of the outstanding work Richard has carried out over the last 19 years” and the league would like to put on record its thanks for his “exceptional contribution to the success of the league”.
Reaction to this payment beyond league boardrooms, however, is likely to be very different.