The Premier League have no plans to alter the way VAR adjudicates marginal offside decisions this season despite a reminder from law-makers on Monday that the new technology should only be used to overturn ‘clear and obvious errors’.
The International Football Association Board, who are in charge of the laws of the game, are planning to issue VAR guidance following their annual meeting in February.
But the Premier League are unlikely to introduce any changes in the middle of the season due to concerns that it would affect the integrity of the competition.
The introduction of VAR has been fraught with controversy, particularly regarding marginal offside decisions, with five goals in the top flight disallowed after reviews last weekend.
The Premier League’s view is that the elite group of video referees presided over by Mike Riley are simply following IFAB protocols and making the correct decisions on matters of fact.
“Clear and obvious still remains — it’s an important principle,” said Lukas Brud, the general secretary of IFAB, although it is unclear whether that principle pertains to offside, which is a matter of fact rather than judgment.
“There should not be a lot of time spent to find something marginal,” he added.
“If something is not clear on the first sight, then it’s not obvious and it shouldn’t be considered. Looking at one camera angle is one thing but looking at 15, trying to find something that was potentially not even there, this was not the idea of VAR. It should be clear and obvious.”
Rangers released a statement on Monday calling for VAR to be introduced in Scotland to help improve refereeing standards. - DailyMail