Premier League confirms VAR changes but decides against pitchside monitor use

After much controversy surrounding VAR in the Premier League, the issue was debated in a meeting which lasted more than three hours between PGMOL chief Mike Riley and the Premier League clubs. The Premier League have reportedly confirmed that VAR will be subject to minor changes but the technology is here to stay.

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Premier League and VAR

Video Assistant Referee (VAR) has been controversial ever since it made its debut in the Premier League this season. It has been a hot topic for discussions among the clubs and players alike all season long. There have been quite a few instances where VAR has received a lot of criticism from fans for doing more harm to the game than good. And after Manchester City made a formal complaint to Mike Riley over the issues with VAR in their defeat to Liverpool on November 10, it was evident a quick resolution was needed.

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Premier League VAR meeting

During the meeting between the Premier League chief Mike Riley and the club officials, Riley confirmed the technology is here to stay, but some minor changes will be made to improve VAR. The aim is to improve the consistency of decisions, speed up processes and increase communication to fans. Messages such as "checking penalty" are set to be replaced with more specific messages to fans such as "checking penalty - possible handball".

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VAR: No pitchside monitors

It was also confirmed that there will also be no change of policy regarding the use of pitchside monitors, which are only to be used for unseen incidents or when information is deemed to be outside the expected range of the referees. 

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