With a new Premier League season on the horizon, there are some key changes coming to the way fans will experience VAR and refereeing decisions moving forward
The LED screen displays a message from VAR which reads "Checking Goal, Possible Offside" during the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Liverpool
VAR is set for some changes this season that will impact Liverpool(Image: (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images))
The Premier League and Pro Ref, the league's governing body for match officials, have announced several key changes to the way VAR and refereeing decisions will be experienced by fans moving forward.
It comes as part of a wide range of switches that have been made over the summer, with Liverpool among those that have worked with the match officials to understand the changes. Earlier this summer, it was revealed that some new rules would be introduced, which included countdowns for goal kicks, set-pieces, and substitutions, all aimed at curbing the amount of time being wasted through stoppages.
Another important switch has surrounded goalkeepers using injuries as an opportunity to create tactical timeouts for the team by going to ground, which prevented them from being sent to the touchline and waiting to be called back on like other outfield players.
Now, if a goalkeeper goes to ground, a player must be nominated in ten seconds; otherwise the captain will be told to stand on the touchline for a minute.
While those new rules will be enforced soon, with Liverpool's first taste of that coming in the opener against Newcastle United over the weekend, there are some other changes on the way.
Those alterations come down to the way VAR and refereeing calls are experienced by fans, with Pro Ref and the Premier League keen to bring greater transparency to how they operate.
PGMOL chief Howard Webb talks on Match Officials Mic'd Up
PGMOL chief Howard Webb talks on Match Officials Mic'd Up(Image: TNT Sports)
It has been a running theme of Howard Webb's time as the head of the referees, after the introduction of the Match Officials Mic’d Up programme, as well as the Premier League Match Centre account on social media.
However, it seems as though more is being done to bring further clarity, as the Premier League has brought in new measures for the upcoming season.
Among those changes will be direct wording from the officials used in social media posts to explain how they got to a decision, as well as in-game audio from Ref Cam - a camera worn by officials that was shown on broadcasts - which will give a glimpse into some of the discussions being had live for selected incidents.
The Key Match Incidents (KMI) panel, which evaluates and reviews decisions, will post the full verdict on the round on its website and app to give full clarity behind the calls being made as well, giving greater insight into how the professionals see the game and reach a verdict.
In theory, it should give fans a window into how a decision has been reached, all in an attempt to make it clearer how officials do their jobs, which has been under increasing scrutiny in recent years.
Liverpool has been on both sides of refereeing decisions, benefiting from some in its favor and missing out on others that went against the side.
It remains to be seen how the Reds will fare this coming season, but with some key changes coming up, the clarity could offer some calm explanation to a game that is filled with emotion.