Premier League clubs set to discuss manager VAR appeals
Premier League clubs are set to meet to debate changes to VAR – including the right for a manager to appeal a decision – following a stream of controversial decisions over the weekend.
Since VAR was introduced to the Premier League at the start of this season, it has attracted more criticism than praise. A meeting involving all 20 Premier League clubs will commence next week to discuss radical changes to the use of video assistant referees.
An incident involving a hand-ball check on Tottenham Hotspur’s Dele Alli against Everton on Sunday is the latest decision to come under fire. However, despite the scheduled meeting, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), which sets the laws of the game, has already confirmed it will block any attempts from managers to appeal a VAR decision.
IFAB has stated that it’s against the laws of football to challenge a decision made by VAR and therefore managers will not be allowed to raise an appeal.
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“Where the protocol is applied properly, there is no need for managers to challenge referees as VARs see more due to their access to every camera feed,” said IFAB secretary Lukas Brud.
Telegraph Sport reports that a Premier League chairman has suggested the idea of each manager being given up to three chances to challenge a decision during a match. However, the Premier League will be firmly against it, as it risks leading to time-wasting and tactical appeals despite the process having a place in other sports such as cricket and tennis.
VAR has come under criticism from managers including Jurgen Klopp and Frank Lampard, leading to suggestions a suspension of the technology could be on the cards. Despite the complaints surrounding it, there will not be a vote on whether to suspend VAR from Premier League fixtures.
Managers have acknowledged VAR’s success in ruling for offside but are calling for improvements in the more subjective scenarios. Liverpool manager Klopp admitted that the use of VAR in Germany was also difficult but it did eventually improve.
Chelsea boss Lampard gave his stance on the situation, stating he would be willing to work with the system and see how it improves. “It needs to be a really open conversation, referees, managers, fans, whatever,” said the former England international.
“It’s the subjective ones that we really need to decide where we are coming from with this idea of ‘clear and obvious’ because at the weekend there were a lot of non-clear and obvious and some were overturned and others weren’t.”
The clubs will meet on November 14 to discuss VAR at a routine appointment.
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