Recently, former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg told the BBC that referees “have a duty” to trust their own decisions again and “not rely on VAR.”
The CEO of the Premier League Referees Company, Howard Webb, stated that this season will see a reduction in VAR interventions, providing more support for referees’ judgments and speeding up decision-making to improve the system.
Clattenburg was appointed as a referee analyst for Nottingham Forest in February, but he gained attention due to his critical comments about some refereeing decisions, leading to his resignation after three months.
Clattenburg said, “Starting from this weekend, referees have a duty to make as many correct decisions as possible on the pitch rather than relying on VAR. VAR should be used only once every few games, not once or twice per game as it was last season.”
“I found (last season) that referees were not making instant decisions as promptly as before, instead relying on VAR. Then VAR would say there is no intervention standard because the referee wasn’t clearly wrong. This led to inconsistencies and fan dissatisfaction. The biggest message I got from Webb and his team’s statement is that they want referees back on the field making decisions.”