Image Credits: Imago Images
Virgil van Dijk’s disallowed goal against Manchester City on Sunday has ripped open a whole new can of worms surrounding VAR’s ongoing credibility crisis.
The Liverpool captain thought he had equalised at the Etihad when his powerful header found the net in the 38th minute, only for the assistant referee to flag Andy Robertson offside, with VAR Michael Oliver confirming the decision.
Liverpool have since contacted PGMOL chief Howard Webb to raise “significant concerns” about the incident, arguing that the usual checks and balances did not take place and that Robertson was neither in Gianluigi Donnarumma’s line of sight nor interfering with play.
The controversy has intensified calls for systemic change to how VAR operates in England’s top flight. League Managers Association chief executive Richard Bevan has revealed that Premier League managers are pushing for referees to be permanently paired with the same VAR officials every week, rather than the current rotation system.
Speaking on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, Bevan explained that managers want to eliminate the “nervous relationship” that exists when on-field referees work with different VAR operators each match:
“We’ve had a lot of Premier League managers’ meetings with Howard Webb about VAR, some good and some not so good,” he explained
“Premier League managers would like to see the VAR referee being someone who is refereeing with the man on the pitch every week, so there’s not a nervous relationship.
“That’s so they understand each other, they understand how they operate to a greater degree, and Howard Webb and PGMOL are working towards that.
“Recruitment is a big issue for them, and training and development. I think they will get there eventually, but it’s about trying to make fewer errors, because VAR is here to stay.
“The VAR referee should be permanent, not one week on and one week off. The more games that they do, then practice makes perfect.”
While recruitment and training remain significant challenges for PGMOL, the move towards fixed referee-VAR partnerships represents a sensible step towards building trust and consistency in officiating decisions across the Premier League.
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