Tottenham will take on Liverpool in the EFL Cup.

Tottenham v Liverpool: PGMOL called to make more VAR changes

Refereeing Consultant AUTHORITY Former FIFA Referee; Head of PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited). FOCUS Laws of the Game, VAR implementation, officiating performance, and PGMOL policy. THE AUDIT Keith utilises Statscore’s Officiating Telemetry, including Deep-Data Metrics like Incident Accuracy Rates, VAR Intervention Latency, and Official Positional Efficiency. He provides technical refereeing analysis to reveal the regulatory reality behind match-defining decisions.

Published on:

31 Dec 2024, 6:10 am

Keith Hackett has called on the PGMOL to make more changes to their VAR system ahead of Tottenham against Liverpool in the EFL Cup semi-final.

It has been announced that Spurs will be part of a trial where the officials will announce any VAR decisions to supporters once complete (BBC Sport).

Hackett believes it is a "tiny" step and the PGMOL must adopt the Rugby Union approach, using the big screen in stadiums and releasing audio between the referee and VAR as it happens.

Speaking exclusively to Tottenham News, the ex-PGMOL chief and FIFA referee shared more changes that could be made in future.

"Frankly, this is such a tiny step to opening up a more substantial requirement for fans to be kept involved in the VAR decision-making process," Hackett said.

"Whilst this small step is a positive move against that is yet another impact on the amount of actual playing time.

Tottenham v Liverpool announcement

"The PGMOL need to convince the lawmakers to adopt the full Rugby Union approach: Use the big screens in the stadium to replace the pitchside monitor.

"Let’s hear the full discussion inside the stadium between the referee and VAR. The referee then announces their decision.

"It means the referees take ownership."

The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

There has been plenty of drama already involving the officials in North London.

Hackett suggested an FA investigation after replays of Son Heung-min's goal against Manchester United in the previous round was shown on the big screen, causing a commotion.

Even with semi-final opponents Liverpool, where Trent Alexander-Arnold was lucky to get away with a foul in the box in that 6-3 defeat.

In other Tottenham news, the club have been told to ban one player after an overnight social media post.

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Keith Hackett