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IFAB considers changes to VAR protocols for next season

Changes to VAR protocols are being considered for next season
Changes to VAR protocols are being considered for next season

VAR protocols could be altered for next season depending on the outcome of discussions set to take place over the next few weeks.

The game's lawmaking body, the International Football Association Board, said a protocol review group will examine whether VAR protocols need any modifications.

"Any proposed changes will be considered in collaboration with major football competitions with extensive experience of using the VAR system, prior to presenting any formal recommendations to The IFAB concerning amendments or trials," an IFAB statement released on Thursday read.

Two areas that have been keenly debated in England are whether the live audio between referees and VARs should be available for broadcast, and whether play could be stopped in the event of a serious error even after play has restarted.

VAR protocols currently prevent that from happening, which meant that even when VAR Darren England realised his mistake in wrongly disallowing a goal by Liverpool striker Luis Diaz at Tottenham in September, he was unable to intervene.

The protocols also state that a VAR may only assist a referee in the event of a clear and obvious error or serious missed incident in relation to a goal, a penalty, a red card or a case of mistaken identity.

Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham spoke last week about his personal support for the idea of playing out live audio of the conversation between a VAR and a referee but acknowledged: "My personal point of view is that I’d love to get to the point where the fans have more access to the conversation that takes place between the VAR and the referee.

"I also understand the referees’ perspective on that, they’ve got an incredibly hard job already and sometimes there are language issues and so on, particularly in international tournaments, they don’t want anything taken out of context."

A trial whereby referee’s decisions after a video review are announced in stadium could also be extended beyond FIFA events to other competitions from early next year.

The IFAB highlighted the "effectiveness" of the trial and the eagerness of other competitions to participate.

IFAB is also considering ways to improve player behaviour and could consider a trial or a law change to ensure that, in certain situations, only captains are permitted to talk to referees.

It will also look at how existing laws - such as the six-second rule and sanctions for delaying restarts – could be more strictly enforced to reduce time-wasting.

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