VAR will not be used in the Premier League next season after clubs voted to extend trials for another year.
A decision to defer implementation of the controversial video assistant referee technology was passed by a two-thirds majority at a meeting of the 20 Premier League clubs on Friday. Such an outcome had been expected after widespread criticism.
The Premier League said in a statement: “The decision came after comprehensive discussions regarding the progress made in VAR trials in English football and key learnings from the many competitions elsewhere using it.”
Testing of VAR technology will continue in the background next season, while Premier League clubs have asked for the technology to be used in more FA Cup and Carabao Cup ties too. They also asked for a greater emphasis on communicating VAR decisions to spectators, one of the most strident complaints against the technology to this point.
The major teething problem in VAR’s use during this season’s FA Cup, as well as in other competitions around Europe, has been a lack of communication in the decision-making process. Supporters have been left bewildered while games have been stopped for long periods of time while decisions were being made.
“The clubs agreed advanced testing will continue to the end of season 2018-19 to make further improvements to the system,” the statement read, “especially around communication inside the stadium and for those following at home and around the world.”
Other problems exposed during the trials were less to do with technology and more about its human application. VAR was supposed to be applied only in the event of a “clear error” by the referee. But decisions, such as Italy’s late penalty against England during their recent friendly, split opinion even after footage had been reviewed from several angles.
This was not the only complication, with video assistants also having to interpret where their brief began in, for example, moves that led to controversial goals. These factors led to decisions being delayed during trial matches and, when combined with the lack of communication, they convinced several clubs to refrain from putting their support behind the technology. It is understood this decision could be revisited before the end of next season, enabling implementation in 2019-20.
The Premier League is the exception in choosing to refrain from embracing the technology. VAR will be used at the World Cup in Russia and has also been approved for use next season by most of Europe’s major leagues, including La Liga, the Bundesliga and Serie A.