VAR audio discussion before City take on Liverpool

CONVERSATIONS between referees and their video assistants concerning some of the key incidents of the Premier League season will be aired for the first time during the Monday Night Football programme on Sky Sports next week.

Howard Webb, pictured, the chief refereeing officer at Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), is set to talk through the two-way audio discussions alongside Sky pundits Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher on May 15, before City’s crunch match against Liverpool. PGMOL is determined to provide as much transparency as the game’s laws allow by making this footage available as a one-off pilot.

However, it could become a more regular feature next season – potentially even reaching the point where decisions from a Saturday and a Sunday are routinely reviewed on a Monday evening – if the initial pilot is well received.

It is currently forbidden for the audio to be broadcast live in any competition in the world, but a trial is ongoing in selected FIFA events, where referees communicate the final decision reached after a VAR check to the crowd via the public address system.

The Monday Night Football programme will start at the earlier time of 6.30pm to allow for the usual pre-match build-up for the City match before the VAR discussion involving Webb.

PGMOL has issued a number of apologies to Premier League teams over the course of the season in relation to VAR controversies.

However, statistics released last month looking at matches played in the English top-flight since its resumption after the World Cup painted an improving picture.

According to figures gathered by an independent panel which sits every week, there were just four incorrect interventions from match rounds 17 to 30. That is an average of one every 37.5 games in the Premier League.