Football fans have been given an insight into how VAR decisions are made after audio between match officials was revealed for the first time.
Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) chief Howard Webb appeared on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football to show VAR footage as well as the conversations between match officials and VAR in several Premier League incidents this season.
Webb took pundits Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville through several decisions.
They included:
• Kai Havertz having a goal ruled out for handball in Chelsea’s goalless draw against Liverpool last month
• Newcastle having a penalty overturned in their 2-0 defeat against Arsenal after VAR said the ball hit defender Jakub Kiwior’s thigh
• Joelinton scoring for Newcastle in their 5-1 win at West Ham after his goal was initially flagged offside but allowed following VAR
• Leandro Trossard’s goal in Arsenal’s 1-0 win at Leicester being disallowed by VAR for a foul by Ben White for holding goalkeeper Danny Ward
• A penalty won by Ivan Toney for Brentford’s 2-0 win against Bournemouth, with VAR not intervening in overturning the decision but missing his earlier foul on Marcos Senesi
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Neville asked Webb whether such transparency should be seen for controversial VAR decisions going forwards, adding: “What’s it going to take for you to, where fans don’t like a decision, release the footage transparently of the big decisions?
“If you put the footage out that night, it would probably clear up whether it is a human error. Can that come in next season?”
Webb said VAR communications could not be played live during the game because of a FIFA law.
“We’re looking to do this as much as we possibly can. We can’t play the footage of VAR communications live during the game, that’s not allowed within the laws of the game. FIFA don’t allow us to play this out during the game,” he said.
“But there’s nothing to stop us doing what we’re doing tonight and showing that information later.”
