Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1153841
29 ONE of the biggest changes to hit English football since the creation of the Premier League will be introduced this weekend and that is, of course, video assistant referees, better known as VAR. While the technology has been used in international competitions and some do- mestic cup games, this season will be the first time the Pre- mier League will use VAR. So we look at some of key is- sues and questions around the technology. What decisions does VAR assist with? In accordance with rules set down by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), VAR is concerned with looking at four key areas. The categories of decisions that can be reviewed are: • Goal/no goal • Penalty/no penalty • Direct red card • Case of mistaken iden- tity These areas will automati- cally be reviewed irrespective of the referee's decision. The Premier League counted 41 incorrect onside/offside calls last season, 31 of which coming when games were level or with a one-goal difference - correcting such decisions should now be commonplace. How does it work? A VAR room based at Stock- ley Park in west London will cover every Premier League game and will have a team of at least three people working with the match officials. The VAR, an assistant VAR and a Hawkeye operator will work together to liaise with officials at the ground, ensure the right camera angles are made available to assist in the decision-making process and even calculate the amount of stoppage time to be added on for the VAR processes during a match. The Stockley Park teams will be in constant communication with match officials, although these communications will not be available to spectators or fans to listen to during or after a game. Will we see big delays to matches? We know it has taken a lot of time in certain matches around the world to come to a decision once highlighted by VAR, but the Premier League is confident it will not take longer than 90 seconds. However the Premier League and Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) referees have been conduct- ing live trials on matches for almost three years. From 68 live trial matches over the last two seasons, in the FA Cup and EFL Cup, they found to have seriously re- viewed about eight incidents every match, taking on aver- age 29 seconds. They found that in 95 per cent of those incidents the check was complete before the time the match was restarted The longest check was 118 seconds, at Southampton v Derby, where there were dif- ficult offside situations all in one incident. VAR has changed a decision, after a review, 14 times in the trial matches and on average it has taken 90 seconds to com- plete those reviews. Premier League VAR will place a high threshold on when it intervenes, with the league keen to keep the high tempo and fast-paced football the division has become fa- mous for in recent years. How will fans know what is happening with VAR decisions? While supporters watching the 2018 World Cup, for ex- ample, from home were able to see all of the replays and angles afforded to the VAR, match-going fans are some- times left perplexed by such instances. The Premier League are aim- ing to eradicate such issues by introducing graphics onto big screens in 18 of the 20 stadiums - Old Trafford and Anfield cur- rently do not have the screens and there are no rules to force them to install the technology - as well as showing one replay of an overturned VAR decision to help fans understand what is happening. There has also been talk of a mobile phone app for sup- porters inside stadiums which would also help explain VAR interventions, but Wi-Fi acces- sibility and other issues mean that has yet to be rolled out. What if players or managers do not agree with a VAR call? There are a number of ways players can be penalised follow- ing the introduction of VAR: yellow cards will be issued for excessive use of the VAR sig- nal towards officials, entering the RRA, interfering with VAR communications and for dis- sent following a decision. Likewise, managers and coaches would face the same Football Association discipli- nary measures as they do now when criticising officials if they question decisions made by the VAR. maltatoday | SUNDAY • 11 AUGUST 2019 SPORTS FOOTBALL All you need to know about VAR ahead of its Premier League introduction The Premier League will have a central VAR control room, as seen during the Russia 2018 World Cup