Premier League clubs agree on use of VAR next season
A formal request for video referees will now be made to the IFAB and Fifa
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The Premier League has announced that clubs in English football’s top flight have agreed “in principle” for the introduction of video assistant referees (VAR) in the 2019-2020 season.
In April clubs voted against using VAR for 2018-2019, the BBC reports, but the Premier League has been carrying out “non-live” trials during the current campaign.
After the successful use of VAR at the Fifa World Cup in Russia it will also be used in next season’s Uefa Champions League.
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The Premier League will now formally make a request to the International Football Association Board (IFAB) and Fifa to use VAR next season. The IFAB is made up of the four UK football associations - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - and Fifa.
In a statement, the Premier League said: “At a shareholders’ meeting today, clubs were provided with an update on the non-live VAR trials being undertaken by the League and Professional Game Match Officials [PGMOL] this season.
“Key learnings from VAR’s use in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, and other leagues across the world, were discussed in detail.
“The Premier League’s non-live testing programme will remain in place for the rest of this season, with a continued emphasis on those Saturday afternoons which have several matches being played concurrently, and developing a clear protocol for communicating VAR decisions to fans.”
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