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PGMOL and the Premier League will give fans the chance to hear the discussion between the VAR and the referee for the first time this season when “Match Officials: Mic’d Up” again airs on Wednesday.
It follows a successful trial in May when Howard Webb, the chief refereeing officer, went through a series of incidents, explaining the rationale and also playing out the discussion between the match official and Stockley Park.
The show, which also features Michael Owen, will be available to all rights holders internationally and first shown at 8 p.m, in the UK by Sky Sports.
– VAR Review: Havertz penalty, Ten Hag rant, Akanji offside
– How VAR decisions have affected every Prem club in 2023-24
Webb has committed to sharing the VAR audio on a regular basis this season, initially monthly.
There have been three high profile errors so far, and this presents PGMOL the chance to underline its open and transparent approach since Webb took charge at the end of last year.
Webb has taken steps to acknowledge major errors, such as the failure to award an injury-time penalty to Wolverhampton Wanderers at Manchester United on the opening weekend when goalkeeper André Onana appeared to foul Sasa Kalajdzic. Fans will now expect that to be included in the review show but there is no confirmation of what will be featured.
Two other errors were the red card shown to Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister, which was overturned on appeal, and the decision not to disallow Manchester City‘s second goal against Fulham on Saturday for offside.
The VAR audio of Arsenal‘s cancelled penalty against Man United on Sunday would pull back the curtain and improve fans’ understanding of the process.