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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Keifer MacDonald

Everton and Liverpool could be impacted by Premier League VAR change

Both Everton and Liverpool are set to be impacted by changes to Video Assistant Referee and how it is used in the Premier League.

According to a report in The Athletic, the Premier League is open to adding an extra eight cameras to improve the accuracy of the VAR's Hawk-Eye system.

If approved, it would see four additional cameras added close to each penalty area to provide further clarity on offside and penalty decisions, which have caused many headlines across the division this season.

READ MORE: Jurgen Klopp hints at 'new things' expected soon at Liverpool after stark admission

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In October, Liverpool's 3-2 defeat at Arsenal was overshadowed by controversy as Gabriel Martinelli's opening goal appeared to have been infringed by an offside in the build-up.

Bukayo Saka, who was in an illegal position, was not visible to any of the five Hawk-Eye cameras that are used pitchside in the Premier League and are later referred to Stockley Park for further assessment during contentious decisions. As a result, the on-field referee Michael Oliver was left with no choice but to stick with his initial judgment and award the goal.

Speaking after the defeat at the Emirates, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp labelled the decision as "obvious", saying: "The first goal, how I heard now, of Arsenal was pretty likely offside.

"We just cannot find out because the camera was not there, or the angle, whatever. But when I saw the picture I thought it’s obvious that Saka came back from an offside position."

The report from The Athletic also adds that FIFA's semi-automated offside technology, which was broadly viewed as a success during the 2022 World Cup, is "likely" to be trialled in the forthcoming campaign.

However, the feeling in the Premier League is that officiating with SAOT is "less effective" due to the time it takes for the images to come through.

Despite the Premier League's recommendations, for either proposal to be approved in the English top flight it must be voted for by at least 14 of the 20 clubs during a Premier League shareholders' meeting.

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