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Premier League could soon follow NBA lead in change that Liverpool and Anfield would welcome
Since the introduction of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology in the Premier League at the start of the 2019/20 season, many match-going fans have complained about the impact on the stadium experience. And Liverpool supporters have perhaps suffered more than most.
There’s a sense that, while television viewers are kept in the loop about VAR checks, those inside the ground are often left in the dark.
To make matters worse for Reds fans, Anfield doesn’t have a big screen that can display the incidents being reviewed by VAR. Instead, fans are only told that there is a check in progress.
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Fortunately, there may soon be a step in the right direction for Premier League fans, based on a report from the Press Association (via This is Anfield).
From the 2024/25 season, we could see referees in the English top flight explain VAR decisions via a microphone, addressing both supporters in stadiums and those watching or listening from home.
The Premier League is apparently monitoring a FIFA trial, and there’s a possibility that the International Football Association Board (IFAB) greenlights the experiment in domestic leagues at its annual business meeting in December.
That would then clear the league to implement the proposal on a test basis at the start of the next campaign.
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Leagues that run according to the calendar year, like MLS, could introduce it straight away.
Meanwhile, the dialogue between the referees and the VAR hub at Stockley Park is unlikely to be broadcast, with officials resistant. They want to be able to communicate in their preferred ways without critical comparisons being drawn to colleagues.
Liverpool.com says: This is a process that’s routinely used in the NBA. After reviewing an incident at courtside monitors, a member of the refereeing crew will announce and explain the final verdict through a microphone. It’s encouraging to see football following the lead of other sports when it comes to the implementation of video review technology.
This should help to ease, though not entirely quash, the qualms of many Premier League fans, who have frequently bemoaned the lack of transparency in the VAR process.
According to ESPN, Liverpool has benefitted from VAR decisions more than any other team in the league (a net six overturns in its favor), but even those associated with the Reds will recognize the flaws in the current methodology.
