Premier League makes three major changes to VAR with fans set to listen to referee conversations on matchday

PREM TV viewers will be able to listen to referees’ on-field interactions with players on match day for the first time this season – as League chiefs bid to reduce VAR controversy. The move to broadcast some ref-cam discussions soon after the final whistle is part of a trio of new measures being introduced from the start of the new campaign. Fans will be able to listen to referees’ on-field interactions with players Credit: CameraSport via Getty Images Premier League chiefs introduced a trio of new measures Credit: AFP via Getty Images Measures will also see extra explanation of VAR decisions, including direct quotes from officials, being published by the Prem’s social media channels. And, for the first time, the verdict of the Prem’s Key Match Incident Panel of former players, refs and managers, which assesses every potential VAR intervention, will be published. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! Pro-Ref – formerly PGMO – boss Howard Webb believes opening up more information will enable fans and club chiefs to get a greater understanding of decisions. Webb will also continue to lobby the Law-making International FA Board to allow more broadcasting of communications, including VAR discussions between officials. IFAB regulations mean live broadcasting of conversations between officials and with players remains barred. But Pro Ref and Premier League bosses believe the trio of new moves will open up the context and reasoning behind decisions – which previously have emerged in the days and weeks after controversial on-field decisions have been made. The first move will come with the publication of near-live quotes from refs and VARs “in selected incidents where this can be helpful to clarify the rationale behind a decision”. A Prem spokesman explained: “This can include the ‘referee’s call’ as described on-field, and the VAR’s direct explanation for why they do not intervene or why they recommended an on-field review.” Most read in Football SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET UP TO £100 BONUS Pro Ref and the League will use the PL Match Centre feed, while refs will again be miked-up to explain to fans inside a stadium why a decision has been reversed after VAR review. Until now, audio recordings accompanying ref cam footage have remained under wraps. But when the system is in operation – normally at one or two matches in each round of games – the sound will be allowed to be broadcast, although only after the final whistle. Webb feels that the recordings, which will be deployed only for “selected incidents”, will give fans greater context. And the decision to publish the KMI Panel verdict – which assessed 25 “errors” where the wrong decision was made after a VAR review – will bring a further level of transparency. The panel, made up of a total of five members, is able to differentiate between errors that should have been rectified and mistakes that did not meet the VAR threshold. Comment now