Referees’ chief Howard Webb says there has been an 80% reduction in the number of video assistant referee (VAR) errors this season.
It has now been five years since VAR was introduced in the Premier League, but the system and the way it is used continues to attract plenty of debate.
According to the independent Key Match Incidents panel (KMI), there were 31 incorrect uses of VAR during the 2023-24 season.
In June Premier League clubs voted 19-1 in favour of keeping VAR after Wolverhampton Wanderers triggered a vote to scrap it.
An independent survey commissioned by the Premier League suggested that four out of five fans want to keep VAR in the league.
The Premier League has started explaining VAR decisions using a dedicated social media channel, but the introduction of semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) – originally scheduled for after either the October or November international break – has been delayed until 2025.
Webb – chief refereeing officer at Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) – has claimed that mistakes are down 80% this season.
“I don’t think we managed expectations well in terms of VAR,” the former Premier League referee told the Stick to Football podcast, external.
“We knew it was always going to be a situation where it was going to do well on those clear situations, the ones where you think, ‘that’s clearly wrong on first view’. We’re good at spotting those most of the time.
“We have this independent panel which has got ex-players on it, and they judge each decision each week, and according to the panel – which is independent from us [PGMOL] – there has only been two VAR errors this season compared to 10 at the same time last year.”
Webb added that greater emphasis has been placed on reducing the time taken to reach decisions.
“We’ve been better at hitting the mark but that can change and we’re not going to get complacent, but it’s been better,” said Webb.
“For me, the biggest thing of all is that it’s been quicker. The average delay last season through VAR was 70 seconds per game and this year it’s 25 seconds. It’s way better.
“I said to the guys, ‘don’t ponder for too long, if you see a situation that jumps off the screen at you then get involved, but if you’re having to think about it too much and analyse it too many times then just say check complete because we’ll leave it with the referee on the field’. That’s why the term, ‘referee’s call’ is useful.”
