Referees to explain VAR decisions to stadium and TV audience at Club World Cup

Referees officiating at the upcoming Club World Cup are set to explain VAR decisions to the stadium and TV audience as part of a new trial.

The experiment was authorised by the International Football Association Board as they hope to give both fans and players more clarity over a decision made by the officials.

Since the introduction of the technology, many fans felt that they have been left in the dark over VAR checks and this has led to major confusion over what is actually being looked at by the officials.

According to The Times, referees at the Club World Cup will be mic’d up so that spectators are able to hear their decisions.

It has also been reported that a similar trial could be used during the Women’s World Cup this summer.

The IFAB agreed that in order to clear up any future confusion, micing up the referees is the easiest way of solving this ongoing issue.

However, the IFAB ruled against a countdown clock trial but new FIFA regulations will tell competitions to follow the 2022 World Cup’s approach to added on time.

The idea of a countdown clock has previously been suggested by former FA and Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein.

He said: “The time has come for transparency via a countdown clock so the public can actually see how much time is left. It should not be a national secret.

“I'm not saying the clock should be stopped every time the ball goes out of play, but certainly for those incidents which cause the greatest delays: goal celebrations, substitutions, penalties, injuries and now VAR checks.”

Alamy

Over the last few weeks, there have been some controversial VAR calls.

During Wolves’ FA Cup tie at Anfield against Liverpool, defender Toti Gomes’ goal was ruled out after VAR said they did not have concrete evidence to overturn the original decision.

Bruno Fernandes’ goal during the Manchester derby on Saturday caused a major uproar after it was given despite Marcus Rashford being in an offside position.