The upcoming Carabao Cup semi-finals will be the stage for a VAR experiment not seen in England before and reactions have been mixed.
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PGMOL make Carabao Cup announcementReferees to address fans after VAR decisionsSocial media reaction divided by newsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
PGMOL, the body that oversees refereeing in professional football in England, has confirmed that the on-field officials will announce VAR decisions to the whole stadium as a trial during the two upcoming Carabao Cup semi-finals between Arsenal and Newcastle, and Liverpool and Tottenham.
A statement explained: "Referees will announce the final decision following a visit to the VAR pitchside monitor or upon the conclusion of factual matters such as accidental handball by a goalscorer or offside offences where the attacker touches the ball."
But it hasn't proven a universally popular move, with fans on social media making clear their thoughts on both sides of the debate.
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On , Dean said: "As someone who goes [to] the match this sounds awful. The referee does signals to show their decision and we don't need it to be more detailed than that. We're at the match to support the team, not examine the decisions. Have VAR discussions available live publicly, not this theatre."
Thomas Wilkie echoed: "Absolutely pointless. We know what the decision is as soon as the ref signals what's going on. Fans need to be able to hear the conversations between Officials and VAR. Instead of being sat in the stadium with no clue as to what's being reviewed."
Danny P commented: "This is spectacularly braindead. It fails to solve a problem that doesn't even exist. Just pandering to morons, and they still won't see it positively. Referee hand signals are fine for every other decision (including after discussions with on-field assistants)."
But not all were against it, as Luke Penning said: "The sooner in-stadium VAR announcements happen the better, as a fan in a stadium when VAR happens apart from some message on the screen, it seems all very detached currently."
With VAR not used in the Carabao Cup prior to the semis, Northampton Eagle suggested it should have happened sooner: "It's a bit late. It should've been done in the quarter-finals. Arsenal's second goal would have been ruled offside, as it should have been!"
AFPTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Refereeing chief Howard Webb confirmed as early as April that PGMOL has been looking for ways to "to improve the in-stadium experience" when it comes to VAR, with plans made in recent months. Announcing the result of reviews to fans is a way the believe they can achieve that, having already seen it trialled by FIFA.
DID YOU KNOW?
The most prominent example of such in-stadium VAR announcements has been the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, where referees addressed the whole stadium each time they were sent to the pitchside monitor to review a decision. FIFA had previously used the protocol at a Club World Cup and Under-20 World Cup tournament as well.
