The 2024/25 season could see a number of potential changes to the video assistant referee (VAR) system for Liverpool FC and the rest of the Premier League clubs. Liverpool, who were not managed by Jurgen Klopp at the time, suffered more VAR errors than any other team this season, sparking criticism for their inconsistent use of the technology.
VAR has been criticized for its lack of consistency since it was introduced six months ago. This season has seen an unprecedented number of VAR errors, with ESPN reporting 20 so far. Liverpool were the first to suffer some of these mistakes, committing four errors against the Reds.
Wolverhampton Wanderers and Brighton & Hove Albion made three mistakes, while Arsenal made two. The remaining eight clubs made mistakes one by one. Premier League Chief Football Officer Tony Scholes recently revealed the current state of VAR and the urgent need to improve it.
He said via The Guardian: “VAR has been and continues to be a very effective tool in supporting match referees on the pitch. But all is not perfect in the VAR world. We know that and we know we have work to do. “Scholes highlighted two key areas where VAR falls short.
The first is that review and inspection take a long time, disrupting the flow of the game. The second is the subpar stadium experience for fans, which greatly hinders their enjoyment of the game. One area where progress has been made is semi-automatic offsides, a system that has been used to great effect in the Champions League.
However, implementation in the Premier League appears doubtful due to concerns from English football’s governing body and mixed results from pilot tests. Scholes also mentioned the restrictions imposed by the IFAB (the body that governs the rules of the game), particularly regarding the use of sound.
He suggested that there may come a time when both video and audio will be streamed in real time and then replayed to improve decisions. Scholes also acknowledged concerns about “outliers”, where multiple things are happening at the same time, making it difficult to detect different parts of the body.
He stressed the importance of ensuring that any new systems introduced do not cause additional problems.
Despite widespread criticism, particularly from Premier League managers, Scholes is generally in favor of VAR. He cited statistics showing that the accuracy of the referee’s decisions has increased from 82% before VAR to 96% this season, with VAR correctly intervening 57 times.
