Premier League managers might soon have the opportunity to contest refereeing decisions as FIFA contemplates overhauling VAR. The English top-flight welcomed VAR ahead of the 2019/2020 season, but it has been plagued with issues ever since.
Managers, players, pundits, and fans alike have grown frustrated with the system. Howard Webb, the PGMOL’s chief refereeing officer, has tried to dispel misunderstandings about VAR but has also had to frequently apologize for his officials’ decisions.
Liverpool and Premier League teams could be set for VAR overhaul by FIFA
Currently, only referees can use the system, with VARs initiating reviews of incidents. However, this could be about to change, with FIFA considering allowing coaches to challenge decisions themselves.
FIFA is seeking permission from the International Football Association Board (IFAB) to continue trials of Football Video Support (FVS). This system would enable coaches to challenge decisions.
FVS has already been trialed at this year’s U20 and U17 FIFA Women’s World Cups, after being approved for testing by the IFAB in March. It is believed that FIFA now wants to extend the system to other competitions.
The system allows coaches to make up to two challenges per match if they believe a mistake has been made. The referee then goes to the side of the pitch to view a replay of the incident.
FIFA’s referees’ chief, Pierluigi Collina, remains optimistic about the new Football Video Standard (FVS) system, which sidesteps VAR with a replay operator and leaves referees to review their own calls without premature notice of their mistakes. The FVS is eyeing wider use in resource-limited leagues, where fewer cameras are in play.
We are at the beginning of the trial and the experiences at both the U20 and U17 FIFA Women’s World Cup will be carefully analyzed but so far, we haven’t noticed anything unexpected,” Collina assured ESPN. He confirms plans for expansion: “As agreed, FIFA will present a report at the next IFAB ABM and request to continue the trial on a wider basis. Several FIFA member associations already showed an interest to participate in the trial. If IFAB will give the permission, next year there will be several competitions using FVS.”
The initial feedback seems promising. Collina cited positive survey results post-tournaments: “Even though [the U20 and U17 FIFA Women’s World Cup] was the first experience, both for the teams and the match officials, we feel that the outcome was very positive. We conducted a survey with the coaches after the tournament which showed that FVS was positively received and considered worthy to be used in the future
We are at the beginning of the trial and the experiences at both the U20 and U17 FIFA Women’s World Cup will be carefully analyzed but so far, we haven’t noticed anything unexpected,” Collina told ESPN.
“As agreed, FIFA will present a report at the next IFAB ABM and request to continue the trial on a wider basis. Several FIFA member associations already showed the interest to participate to the trial. If IFAB will give the permission, next year there will be several competitions using FVS.
