THE FA is pushing to allow VAR communications to be broadcast in stadiums.
Wembley bosses feel that letting fans in grounds and at home to hear what VARs are saying to referees will give more clarity to supporters.
It was only three days after Liverpool’s Luiz Diaz’ goal at Spurs was wrongly disallowed by a major VAR blunder that the chaos surrounding Darren England’s mistake was aired.
Current International FA Board rules mean it is forbidden to broadcast the conversations live.
But FA chief executive Mark Bullingham will urge a rethink and change of policy at head month’s Ifab “business meeting” which will set the agenda for the formal Law-deciding AGM in March.
Bullingham said: “The fans is in the stadium should never know less than the fans watching on TV.
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“Live broadcasting of the conversations is something we have talked about in multiple IFABS.
“Generally there is a split in the room, often it between the marketing-and-commercial people and the referees.
“Our point of view would normally be that transparency is a really good thing.
“We want fans to have the maximum experience.
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“More transparency shows how difficult the referee’s job is and it has worked in other sport.
“But there is an understandable nervousness from others that the referee’s job is hard enough as it is.”
Bullingham, though, may have to do a lot of persuading.
Patrick Nelson, chief executive of the Belfast-based Irish FA, said: “We just need to see more evidence on this at the moment.
“It's interesting when we look at recent examples but we still need to remember that VAR as an entire concept is relatively in its infancy compared to the game of football and compared to IFAB. There is still more that we can learn.”
Fifa now allows mic’d up referees to announce why they have changed an on-field decision after VAR intervention, although giving no details, with Bullingham feeling that is “a step forward”.
Refs’ chief Howard Webb suggested on Tuesday night that he wanted a change in the Ifab VAR protocols that prevented England from telling ref Simon Hooper to stop play and award Liverpool a goal after the game had restarted.
Bullingham intends to gauge the views of the Ifab board – half of which is composed of the four Home Nations with Fifa supplying the other four votes – over whether that is a possible move.
So far, though, Ifab has been resistant, suggesting a single error by officials in one country should not necessarily force a rewriting of the regulations.
But Bullingham will strongly resist calls for MORE powers for VARs to interfere outside the current realm of “match-changing decisions” such as goals, penalties and red cards..
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The idea of extending the scope to allow VAR overturns for free-kick decisions, bookings, corners and throw-ins is due to be discussed at next month’s meeting.
But Bullingham vowed: “We would be really reluctant to have a game that was stopped a lot more than it currently is. That will be a proper discussion.”
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