England Premier League Referees to Announce VAR Calls Live in Stadiums as Liverpool Coach Reacts

Starting next season, Premier League referees will announce VAR decisions live in stadiums, initially trialed during the English League Cup semifinals. Liverpool manager, Arne Slot, expressed skepticism but acknowledged fan benefits. Meanwhile, semi-automated offside technology could be introduced sooner, with officials aiming to reduce offside review times by 31 seconds.

Ahead of the 2024-25 Premier League season, referees are set to announce the outcomes of VAR reviews directly in the stadiums, a protocol currently being trialed in the English League Cup semi finals. The first announcement occurred during the first leg of the Tottenham vs. Liverpool match when a goal for Spurs was ruled out for offside.

Premier League officials, including Tony Scholes, have suggested that this protocol could be extended to league matches starting next season. However, Liverpool's manager, Arne Slot, expressed doubts about the necessity of such announcements, though he acknowledged their potential appeal to fans. During the League Cup match, referee Stuart Attwell used a microphone to announce the offside decision, which took approximately two minutes to confirm.

Despite the trial, Tottenham’s manager, Ange Postecoglou, voiced his skepticism about whether the announcement added value to the game, while Slot criticized the decision to announce an obvious call rather than more contentious ones, such as a potential second yellow card for Tottenham's Lucas Bergvall. Additionally, semi-automated offside technology may be introduced sooner than expected, potentially even before the season's end, to reduce offside check times by an average of 31 seconds.