SunSport’s referee expert explains nine new rules coming to Premier League – and verdict on three major changes to VAR

HOWARD WEBB revealed this week he would like to apply a “light touch approach” to VAR. But this should have been the Prem‘s strategy for the last seven years since it was introduced in the 2019/20 season. Howard Webb said he would like to apply a ‘light touch approach’ to VAR Credit: Getty The Pro Ref are attempting to crack down on incidents that could waste time in games, including ‘goalkeeper timeouts’ Credit: Getty Pro Ref chief refereeing officer Webb and his predecessor Mike Riley have allowed a forensic application which was totally unnecessary and contrasted with the IFAB protocol. After talks with the 20 Prem clubs, Webb now says refs should reserve it for “those situations which are clear and obviously wrong”. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! Dream Team is back, free, and there’s £100,000 up for grabs! So let’s hope – and pray – that we see a big improvement in our use of VAR and refereeing standards in general this term. Webb has talked the talk for some time and now it’s time for him to deliver. We lost one of our top refs Anthony Taylor after he hung up his whistle following this summer’s World Cup. I find it baffling that Taylor is no longer in our system as he was appointed the Turkish Football Federation’s new director of elite refereeing. It has been clear for some time that we haven’t got many top-quality refs and there is a real lack of depth in the top-flight. Webb and co have opted to develop and expose more refs to football‘s elite by merging Select Group One and Two. Most read in Sport BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK While there is a bigger pool of officials – 39 in total – in the new Professional Referee Group officials, many of them have never refereed a Prem game. Another point to note is this merger will make it easier for bosses to move the officials between the Prem and Championship without fanfare. Arsenal‘s clash with Coventry at the Emirates tonight kicks-off the new season and nine new laws are set to be implemented. I like the five-second countdowns for throw-ins and goal kicks as we saw in the World Cup. It will speed up the game but we need to be consistent in our application.Players who go down will have to leave the pitch for a minute. This will not apply if they have been fouled and the offending player has been cautioned for the offence. For the “goalkeeper timeout,” where a stopper is seen by a physio, the manager will have ten seconds to nominate an outfield player who must leave the pitch for 60 seconds. This will not come into play if the goalkeeper has been fouled or is bleeding. Substituted players have 10 seconds to trudge off the pitch and if they don’t, the sub will have to wait a minute. It’s another positive change because we don’t want to see time-wasting in our game. There are also changes to the way VAR reviews set pieces Credit: Getty VAR can now review second yellow cards Credit: Getty Ref chiefs have clarified that any kick of the ball during a goal-kick routine will be treated as the goalkeeper having taken it. On the VAR front, they can now review second yellow cards. This will only apply to ones that actually have been handed out and NOT potential second cautions that did not come to pass. Set-piece goals can also be reviewed if a foul occurred before the kick was taken. If this is the case, the goal will be chalked off and the set-piece retaken. VAR can also correct acts of mistaken identity by the on-field referee. For example, if a player has been booked, but the offence was actually committed by another player, VAR will intervene to see the right player penalised. This rule will only be applied to the same infringement. Direct officials’ wording from Premier League Match Centre Halsey Verdict: Good decision “Everyone wants feedback from the officials and this is a good move for them to explain their decisions. The fans are just as important as the players and managers. While we won’t hear from them directly and their quotes will be in a written form, it is a step in the right direction.” In-game audio from the Ref Cam Halsey Verdict: Bad decision “This is fine in theory but I doubt we will get a true reflection of what goes on during a game. Shop floor language is used and that’s how officials manage the players. I fear we will only hear what Pro Refs want us to hear in a watered down version. Players will also worry about speaking to officials because it may get aired.” Key Match Incidents (KMI) Panel Halsey Verdict: Good decision “This is a positive change as everyone should be able to view the results of the KMI panel. The five panel members have met since the 2022-23 season but their findings have officially remained private. “I do hope we get full transparency and find out who is on the panel.” Comment now