VAR operation in the EPL is still work in progress: Former referee Keith Hackett bats for semi-automated offside tech; talks about new stringent Premier League rules | Football News

Over the years, the game of football has gone through a litany of changes when it comes to introduction of new rules. As human beings, we are creatures of habit so every now and then when a new rule is introduced in a rather familiar setting, it is more often than not met with considerable pushback.
This season in the Premier League, a new set of rules were introduced which have allowed referees to be stricter in clamping down on time wasting during the game. This was done after data showed that the average actual playing time in an English Premier League game was around 55 minutes.
So, the EPL went the FIFA World Cup way where the officials stop the watch whenever the ball is out of play like during a prolonged goal celebration or while taking a throw in. The watch will restart again when the ball is sent into play and the chunk of time in between will be added right at the end of the game. This has led to EPL games having large chunks of time added on after 90 minutes which has led to many a pivotal moment in the matches this season.
There have also been a spate of bookings where the referee brandishes yellow cards which are sometimes deemed as a little too harsh the fan base. For example, Arsenal’s Takehiro Tomiyasu was deemed to be time wasting while taking a throw against Crystal Palace and was booked even though he had the ball in his hands for just a few seconds. He would ultimately get a second yellow card a few minutes after the first booking and would thus be sent off. Reacting to it, manager Mikel Arteta would say that the Japan international was probably holding on to the ball for about 8 seconds, adding “We might have to play with a stopwatch.”
Talking about the new rules and their applications, former EPL referee Keith Hackett told the Indian Express, “Clearly the Premier League and the (Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), had to react to the knowledge that the average actual playing time in a Premier League game was around 55 minutes. To ensure more playing time a Charter was agreed all Clubs that more focus would be adopted referees with regard to time wasting.”

“Personally, I would like the timing of games to be taken away from the referee which would require a law change and an Independent timekeeper introduced,” he added.
As the season wears on, there have also been contentious calls the Video Assant Referee (VAR) during matches and according to Hackett, this technology is still a work in progress even though it has been around for a while now.
Head of Football Technology Sebastian Runge shows media the VAR room. (REUTERS)
“There is no doubt in my mind that the VAR operation in the English Premier League is still a work in progress and in my opinion some dynamic changes need to be made. Firstly, I would like to see the introduction of the Semi Automated Offside technology. This system uses its bank of cameras and the latest artificial intelligence to produce much more accurate decisions than we are currently seeing,” the former PGMOL chief said.
After the recent comments made former referee Mike Dean where he said that he failed to correct a make while on video-review duty for a match last season to spare the on-field official “any more grief,” the fans’ confidence in the system is at an all-time low. And some decisions this season haven’t exactly helped its case.Most Read
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Just this weekend, entire fan bases were divided on Alejandro Garnacho’s disallowed goal vs Arsenal as well as Man City’s Nathan Ake’s contentious strike against Fulham which was checked VAR but was still allowed to stand even though City player Manual Akanji was interfering in play in the buildup to the goal.

OFFSIDE!
Alejandro Garnacho is denied the finest of margins! #beINPL #ARSMUN 🔴👺 pic.twitter.com/0ETaWKtMRn
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS_EN) September 3, 2023
Speaking about the two decisions, Hackett stated, “In the Arsenal v Manchester United game, the offside decision using current broadcast speeds and the drawing of a line across the field of play at 90 degrees to the touchline is what is in operation. In this situation all they have to do is determine if the position of Garnacho of Manchester United was nearer to the goal line than the second rearmost defender. Despite the appeals of the Manchester United manager on the evidence provided this was the correct decision in law.”
“It was a different matter in the Manchester City v Fulham game where an attacker standing in a clear offside position and interfering with the goalkeeper when the goal was scored Manchester City was allowed to stand. This was a clear error the Referee and VAR the goal should have been ruled out,” he added.
Recently, UEFA said that it does not want Champions League games to match the World Cup with double-digit minutes of stoppage time due to it having an impact on the players’ health. Reacting to that, Hackett told this newspaper, “100-minute games do produce broadcasting issues. However, I am sorry that UEFA are not joining FIFA and other countries to address value for money with regard to fans receiving better value for their ticket price.”