Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham and Newcastle will be the guinea pigs for a new VAR trial that PGMOL says hopes to “provide greater clarity and understanding”
English football is set to trial in-stadium VAR announcements for the first time.
The new idea will be trialled in next week’s Carabao Cup semi-finals first legs when Arsenal face Newcastle United and Liverpool play Tottenham Hotspur.
It will see referees announce the final VAR decision following a visit to the pitch side monitor. Or make public a decision following the conclusion of factual matters, such as handball by a goalscorer or offside offences where the attacker has touched the ball.
The move has been introduced by the PGMOL in a bid to reduce confusion following controversial decisions, as well as speed up games. To prepare for the upcoming change, referees have undertaken special training.
This includes seeing them go on training camps and officiate in a series of match-related exercises in club stadiums. A PGMOL statement said: “The trial, which forms part of our broader commitment to transparency, including providing greater clarity and understanding around key decisions, will run over both legs of the Arsenal vs Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur vs Liverpool ties.”
The trial will begin when Arsenal host Newcastle at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, January 7, before Arne Slot‘s Premier League leaders Liverpool also travel to North London to face Spurs on Wednesday, January 8.
The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was infamously the location of the biggest VAR blunder to date, when a Luis Diaz goal was disallowed in a 2-1 defeat for the Reds in September 2023.
Referee Simon Hooper stuck with his linesman’s incorrect offside call after the VAR thought the goal had been given and called for no involvement to be taken.
The PGMOL later admitted the “clear and obvious error” and blamed “significant human error,” laying the blame squarely at the door of VAR operatives Darren England and Dan Cook.
The Carabao Cup return legs will see Mikel Arteta‘s Gunners travel to Newcastle on Wednesday, February 5 and Liverpool host Tottenham at Anfield on Thursday, February 6.