The Football Association are in favour of video assistant referee conversations broadcast live to give fans clarity over decisions, but have received opposition from referees.
Communication between the on-field official and the Var has been in the spotlight after Darren England’s mistake in Liverpool’s defeat by Tottenham when he wrongly thought a goal had been awarded and completed his check in error.
FA chief executive Mark Bullingham has backed more transparency for supporters over these important decisions in each match, with the topic discussed by the sport’s law-makers, the International Football Association Board (Ifab), during their meetings. The pushback over Var conversations, Bullingham revealed, being broadcast live has come from referees.
“That is something we have talked about in multiple Ifabs,” said Bullingham. “Generally there is a split in the room over that, and quite often it is between the marketing-and-commercial people and the referees.
“Our point of view from the marketing and commercial perspective would normally be that transparency is a really good thing, and we want to have fans to have the maximum experience.
“I think we have taken a step in that direction with announcing the decision by the referee and I think that is a step forward - the fans in the stadium should never know less than the fans watching on TV. My personal point of view is I do think that will continue to be a question over time because the more transparency shows how difficult the referee’s job is and it has worked in other sports.”
Aside from having the process of every Var decision scrutinised if they were broadcast, there would be an added complication of referees speaking in a foreign language at international tournaments. Bullingham is also not in favour of Var intervening in more situations and adding to the stoppages.
“There is an understandable nervousness from others that the referee’s job is hard enough as it is. In a tournament you have referees with multiple languages so it is not as straightforward as some might suggest. So I think we are taking a step in the right direction with announcing the decision and explaining why it has been reached. Let’s see if that leads to further progression,” Bullingham added.
“I know that [a wider scope] is something we would discuss in the next Ifab [meeting]. I think we would be really reluctant to have a game that was stopped a lot more than it currently is but that will be a proper discussion.”
Howard Webb, the head of Professional Game Match Officials Limited, has previously spoken publicly about “pushing” for Var audio to be aired live, something that would mean any opposition to this would be from outside England and likely with Fifa’s Referees Committee, which is headed up by former official Pierluigi Collina.
