Leeds United and their new Premier League rivals have reached an agreement that will see some key changes to how the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) is used next season.
The introduction of the technology to the Premier League last season caused mass amounts of controversy, and teams are hoping that the latest changes can reduce this.
In July 2020, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) handed responsibility of VAR to FIFA following the aforementioned controversies and inconsistencies in the Premier League’s application of the technology in comparison to the rest of Europe.
A statement from the Premier League read: “At the Premier League’s Annual General Meeting today, Shareholders agreed to rules relating to Video Assistant Referees (VAR) and substitute players for the 2020/21 season.
“Shareholders unanimously approved the implementation of VAR, in line with the full FIFA VAR protocol.”
Below are the key changes that are set to be made to the technology.
Referee Review Area
There seemed to be a frustration amongst supporters last season that the referees were not using the on-field monitors as much as they should have.
Mike Riley, who is the leader of the Premier League’s PGMOL group, was against the monitors and they were not seen in the UK until January in the FA Cup.
However, when you look across Europe and in Champions League matches, these monitors are consistently used - something we could see in the Premier League next season.
Goalkeeper encroachment on penalty kicks
There is set to be a strict change in regard to goalkeepers leaving their goal-lines on penalty kicks.
From next season, there will be zero tolerance on this - which will of course mean there will be more retakes.
This is set to make it fairer, however, with goalkeepers gaining a clear advantage the closer to the ball that they get.
Player encroachment on penalty kicks
Like the aforementioned goalkeeper rule, there will be absolutely no tolerance of players seeking to gain an advantage from a penalty kick.
If a player is deemed to be inside the penalty box when the spot-kick is being taken, then VAR will order a retake.
Like the goalkeeper rule, this will only apply if the player that has moved forward is directly involved in the aftermath of the penalty.
Keeping the flag down for tight marginal offside offences
Assistant Referees will keep their flag down for any goalscoring chances, to try and prevent any incorrect offside decisions.
Last season, players were told to ignore the flag and play on until they hear the referee’s whistle, but the Assistant Referees will be told to keep their flags down and VAR will decide if the player is onside or offside.
Offsides
There will be no change to the offside rules and no tolerance levels will be allowed.
