VAR was trialled in the FA Cup last season
The introduction of VAR to top level football across the board feels inevitable now. The system was trialled in the FA Cup last season, and despite a the Tottenham vs Rochdale car crash, the wave of momentum still feels extremely in favour of VAR.
The World Cup was less of a car crash, but still demonstrated the flaws in the system, with slow-motion replays making some accidental handballs appear intentional, one coming in the final. That penalty decision has reportedly worried the Premier League, who believe the system may have lost some support among fans.
Nevertheless, the Premier League have decided to go ahead and trial VAR for 15 matches after this weekend’s international break, according to Sky Sports.
The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) intend to show that the system is fit for purpose in the Premier League during this trial period, with a view to making it a permanent feature of all top flight fixtures in England after they have showed the Premier Leagues their findings.
The first trial will take place across five 3pm kick-offs on September 15 to see whether the VAR hub at Stockley Park near Heathrow can cope with the multitude of decisions arising from several fixtures.
The ‘as-live’ match scenario will be replicated in the VAR hub but there will be no contact between the VAR team and the officials on the pitch. So, the referees won’t actually be aided by the video assistant referees; the trial is merely to work out how feasible it is to use the system during five simultaneous matches.
