If there was one thing to take away from the European Championship that was perhaps missed by many fans, it was the use of the video assistant referee (VAR).
Following the completion of Euro 2020, the chairman of UEFA’s referees’ committee, Roberto Rosetti, said, “The scope to criticise the referees was very limited”, before continuing, “Their work over 51 matches was seamless. We’re very proud of them.”
What Rosetti said is true and if you look back at the tournament, there were not many decisions that caused controversy. Of the 276 incidents checked by VAR throughout the competition, only 18 were changed, 8 of which were overturned following a review by the match referee using the screen on the side of the pitch.
Over a total of 51 matches, that is good going and although there were one or two decisions which caused debate, such as the penalty awarded to England against Denmark in the semi-final, VAR was used well throughout the tournament.
The upcoming 2021/22 English Premier League season will be the third campaign using VAR and teams and fans will be hoping for a similar experience witnessed during the European Championship. One of the changes we will see to VAR in the Premier League is the introduction of thicker lines for offside decisions.
It is hoped the thicker lines will remove the extremely tight offside calls we witnessed last season, where an armpit was being used to flag a player offside. Patrick Bamford had a goal disallowed against Crystal Palace because he was pointing to where he wanted the ball to be played. The thicker line being used for offside calls next season will hand the advantage to the attacking player and we should no longer see goals being ruled out because of an armpit.
Fans watching the Premier League at home will not see the team drawing their lines live on the television next season. This is something fans did not see during the and the process has always been somewhat clumsy when played out live in-front of millions of fans around the world. The final decision reached by VAR will be displayed, along with the evidence once the check is complete. Most fans will probably agree this is for the best.
Another change introduced at the European Championship was the removal of the accidental handball law for attacking players. For example, last season, if a defender attempted to clear the ball and it hit an attacking player on the arm from close range and the attacking team went on to score, the goal would be disallowed.
However, in the upcoming Premier League campaign, that goal would be allowed to stand. Again, we can all probably agree this is a change for the better.
The Premier League will also have a dedicated VAR official next season, with Lee Mason taking on the role having retired from on-pitch duties. This is another step in the right direction and VAR could finally be accepted by everyone involved in the Premier League.