Premier League Clubs Set to Reject VAR Corners Plan — Video Assistant Referee
Premier League clubs are set to reject widening the video assistant referee next season, keeping corner decisions outside VAR’s remit for now. The plan comes after talks with the refereeing body Professional Game Match Officials, and the final call will be made at the clubs’ annual general meeting next month.
Howard Webb and PGMO
PGMO chief refereeing officer Howard Webb is expected to discuss the West Ham-Arsenal decision on Sky Sports’ Match Officials Mic’d Up on Tuesday. That episode lands in the middle of a wider dispute over whether the Premier League should follow the new law approved by the International Football Association Board in February.
Ifab’s change will allow VAR to rule on corners from next month, and referees will use it at the World Cup after a request from Fifa. But the law is discretionary, so leagues and competitions can choose not to adopt it. The Premier League is leaning that way after PGMO advised against extending VAR’s reach.
West Ham and Arsenal
The latest flashpoint came on Sunday, when Chris Kavanagh disallowed Callum Wilson’s injury-time equaliser for West Ham after consulting VAR Darren England. West Ham intend to lodge a complaint over the free-kick award against Pablo for making contact with Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya.
That decision has sharpened the debate because the Premier League wants a clear boundary on what VAR can review. Clubs have little appetite to overrule PGMO’s guidance and add more responsibility to officials across the 38-match season, especially with concerns that corner checks could lengthen matches and put extra pressure on match officials.
Fifa’s referees committee chair Pierluigi Collina and president Gianni Infantino are said to have concerns that an incorrect corner decision could decide a World Cup game, which is why the new law is being used there, alongside three-minute hydration breaks in each half. But the Premier League is moving in the opposite direction, and the clubs’ vote next month will decide whether the competition keeps VAR where it is or opens the door to a much wider brief.
World Cup and Ifab
Ifab is expected to discuss grappling at corners after the World Cup, but there are no proposals yet on how to tackle it. For the Premier League, the immediate choice is narrower: adopt the new corner power or leave video assistant referee limited to its current scope.
