Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Referees will announce any video assistant referee decisions to football supporters inside England stadiums for the first time during the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup.
As part of a test, the referees will announce the final decisions after visiting the VAR pitchside monitor or if the decisions are made on real matters such as an accidental handball by a goalscorer or offside violations where the player attack touched the ball.
Such announcements are common in other sports such as rugby union and American football and the system was tested during the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
The Premier League said in a meeting last summer that in-game VAR announcements will be put in place at some point this season.
Both legs of each cup semi-final – Arsenal v Newcastle and Tottenham v Liverpool – will be included in the trial.
The first legs in the EFL-run competition to be played on 7 and 8 January 2025, with the return fixtures on 5 and 6 February.
Referee authority PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) said the move was part of its “commitment to transparency” and hoped it would bring greater clarity and understanding to key decisions.
Referees have been preparing for in-stadium announcements in training camps and have been practicing in stadiums. The officials for the matches will be announced on Tuesday.
X’s Premier League Match Center account has been posting “almost-live” explanations of VAR decisions this season, but this is the first time that spoken cues have been given to people, if any. any calls to make.
The EFL said in a statement: “The new pilot includes technological improvements for the benefit of match officials and fans.
“This latest pilot has the support of the EFL and follows an earlier collaboration with PGMOL in 2018 to trial VAR in EFL competitions ahead of its introduction in the Premier League.”
