Premier League chief says VAR change could be coming after Arsenal’s public complaints

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Premier League chief of football officer Tony Scholes has hinted at a possible change to VAR after Arsenal’s public complaints this season.

The Gunners are one of three clubs to have complained to the Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL) about VAR already this season. 

Mikel Arteta was left furious after the 1-0 defeat at St James’ Park back in November, labelling the decision to award Anthony Gordon’s goal ‘an absolute disgrace’.

Arsenal then backed their manager and released a public statement, saying the referees’ body ‘urgently needs to address the standard of officiating’.

Liverpool and Nottingham Forest have also publicly complained after decisions going against them this term.

Now, Scholes has been discussing the impact of VAR on the Premier League and hinted at working towards reducing the time it takes to make decisions. 

VAR change could be coming after Arsenal’s public complaints

Speaking to i Sport, Scholes claimed that VAR has been a ‘significant success’ when it comes to improving the accuracy of decisions. 

It’s noted that the number of correct decisions now stands at 96 per cent, whereas it was down at 86 per cent while referees were still making calls on the field.

Scholes also labelled clubs’ decisions to go public with their complaints a ‘little disappointing’ as they are in constant dialogue with the PGMOL and the Premier League already.

But the Premier League chief has suggested that they will be working towards a change when it comes to speeding up the decision-making process.

“Clearly everything in the world of VAR is not perfect and we’re aware of that, we know we have work to do. We’re doing too many checks and taking too long in doing them as well,” Scholes said.

“It’s to a degree understandable given the level of scrutiny these guys are under, from ourselves, from the media and from supporters, but it’s affecting the flow of the game and we’re extremely aware of that. We need to improve that speed while maintaining accuracy.

“The VAR experience for the supporter is poor. It’s nowhere near good enough, we know it’s not, it affects supporters’ enjoyment of the game and we know it needs to change.”

It’s refreshing to hear that the Premier League are aware of the need to speed up the decision-making process.

While there are plenty of flaws with VAR, the major sticking point for fans seems to be the time it takes to come to a decision.

It ultimately spoils the matchday experience for supporters at times and can often take the enjoyment out of the game.