Semi-automatic offside technology will be introduced next season to help save time on offside checks, the league says.
English Premier League teams have voted to retain video assistant referees (VARs) despite widespread criticism last season over the technology-aided refereeing system.
Although the statement did not contain figures for the vote, held at the Premier League’s annual general meeting on Thursday, the BBC reported that 19 of the division’s 20 clubs voted to retain the technology.
The BBC said only Wolverhampton Wanderers, who last month called a vote to scrap the system, supported abolishing VAR.
The Midlands club accused VAR of “undermining the value of the Premier League brand” after another season of several debatable decisions.
VAR was introduced to the Premier League in 2019 with the aim of helping referees avoid clear and obvious errors that have marred games in the past.
But there have been numerous controversies surrounding the technology during the recently concluded 2023-2024 campaign, with Premier League managers and fans increasingly vocal in their disdain for the system.
Clubs today voted in favor of continuing to operate VAR in the Premier League. Although VAR produces more accurate decision-making, it was agreed that improvements needed to be made for the benefit of the game and the fans.
There are six areas of focus: pic.twitter.com/CzSvnvcizW
– Premier League (@premierleague) June 6, 2024
After Thursday’s vote, however, the Premier League acknowledged that improvements were needed.
“While VAR produces more accurate decision-making, it was agreed that improvements needed to be made for the benefit of the game and fans,” the league said in a statement.
Semi-automatic offside technology will be introduced next season in the hope it will reduce the time needed for offside checks, while in-stadium announcements will be made when an on-field decision is changed following a VAR intervention to keep fans informed.
The Premier League added that the “high threshold” for intervention would also be maintained.
Six key areas were identified during discussions with clubs:
- Maintain a high threshold for VAR.
- Reduce game delays, particularly through the introduction of semi-automatic offside technology (SAOT).
- Improve fan experience by reducing delays and announcing referees in the stadium to explain post-VAR decision changes.
- More robust VAR training to improve consistency with an emphasis on speed while preserving accuracy.
- More transparency and communication around VAR.
- A VAR communications campaign for fans and stakeholders to further clarify the role of technology in the game.
The league confirmed in April that SAOT will be introduced in the fall of 2024 to provide faster, more consistent virtual offside line placement based on optical player tracking.
The league and Professional Game Match Officials Ltd said they will continue to lobby the International Football Association Board to allow greater flexibility to allow live video and audio broadcasts during VAR reviews.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
