Samuel Barrott consults the VAR monitor.
VAR has often courted controversy ever since its introduction.
In a significant move, the Football Association has revised their historic FA Cup competition ahead of the third round ties inked-in for early January. English football's governing body announced the implementation of Video Assistant Referees (VAR) starting from the fifth round onwards.
Until now, VAR has been in use only at Wembley Stadium and Premier League venues - in that cup competition - due to the infrastructure and costs involved.
Aiming for fairness across the board, though, the FA thinks that this step was taken to ensure a uniform refereeing standard for all competing teams. Their statement clarified: "Video Assistant Referees (VAR) will only be used in the 2024/2025 Emirates FA Cup from the fifth round onwards."
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Further explaining the newly adopted structure, it detailed: "It has been agreed that VAR will be utilised for every match in the fifth round of the competition through to the final at Wembley Stadium, and will not be in operation for the third and fourth rounds. VAR has only been used in the Emirates FA Cup previously for games at Wembley Stadium - and at Premier League grounds - owing to certain infrastructure, workforce and costs which are required for its operation."
The decision has been highlighted as a way to make sure each club is afforded the same level of refereeing when they are competing at any particular round of the world-famous competition.
Fans from different teams across the nation have voiced their frustration at the decision - arguing that VAR should be completely removed from the competition. The technology has been a contentious issue in the Premier League since its introduction in the 2019/2020 season.
In this year's tournament, as the top teams get ready to join, Manchester United are due to head to Arsenal in the third round, while neighbours Manchester City have been pitted against Class of 92-owned Salford City. Those ties are scheduled for next month - and will not include VAR.