Premier League managers have called on Howard Webb to change VAR to eliminate mistakes currently being made in the use of technology by first teams.
Premier League leaders have met with PGMOL chief Howard Webb to request changes to VAR. Richard Bevan, chief executive of the League Managers’ Association, says they want to play at the top level with a new staff structure.
The LMA is calling for referees to be paired with specific video assistant referees so that partnerships can be formed. They believe this will result in more consistent officiating.
Mr Bevan suggested Mr Webb and PGMOL were working to form a deeper understanding between referees and video assistant referees. However, there appears to be a problem with recruitment.
The LMA chief executive has acknowledged that VAR is here to stay and believes work needs to be done to correct the errors that are currently occurring. In his opinion, the permanent VAR referee will do something to resolve this issue.
Speaking exclusively on the Footy Accumulators No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, Bevan explained his position to former Sunderland and Bolton manager Sam Allardyce.
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He said: “We’ve had a number of meetings with Premier League managers and Howard Webb about VAR, and there have been some good points and some not-so-good points. “The Premier League managers want the VAR referee to be the person who referees Howard Webb on the pitch every week, so it won’t be a tense relationship.
“It’s about both companies getting to know each other and how they operate, and Howard Webb and PGMOL are working towards that.
“Recruitment is a big issue for them and so is training and development. I think they will get there eventually, but the important thing is to reduce mistakes because VAR is here to stay.”
“VAR referees should be on hand. Instead of having one week in a row and one week off, practice game after game and it will become perfect.”
Technology could become even more involved in Premier League matches. A proposal to allow video technology to cancel inaccurate second yellow cards will be submitted to the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the independent guardian of football association rules.
The association’s annual business meeting will be held in January, where the topic will be discussed and whether video match officials should be allowed to intervene as part of VAR protocols. Currently, only direct red cards or warnings for mistaken identity will be revoked.
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