[Football] Small tweaks to VAR and refereeing of the rules for 2024-5...

[Guinness Boy]

The frustrating thing about a lot of that is that it just undoes a lot of things that people were complaining about, which were brought in to correct a lot of things people were complaining about.

FWIW I can now see a whole lot of clear penalties missed on field not even being reviewed, while every goal from a corner or free kick will be forensically examined for blocking.

 

[pocketseagull]

- We will see a significant drop in stoppage time this season - because of a change in timing goal celebrations.
Until now time was added on for every second between the ball hitting the net and the kick-off being taken.
Now the clock will only be started after 30 seconds. So a game with six goals would have three minutes less of stoppage time.

Great if you're winning, rubbish if you're chasing. Don't really understand the reasoning of this one?

 

[Giraffe]

So basically reverting to how it should have been done at the start other than the measuring offside to the millimetre, which is irritating.

 

[WSU Dilettante]

Great if you're winning, rubbish if you're chasing. Don't really understand the reasoning of this one?

Also pretty rubbish for fans who are already seeing less and less football (59 mins out of 90 last season- although that was up on the season before, probably thanks to all the more accurately added on additional time last season).

 

[Titanic]

Great if you're winning, rubbish if you're chasing. Don't really understand the reasoning of this one?

Allowing 30 seconds to celebrate a goal and reset for the kick off seems reasonable. Anything over that is added on.

 

[Han Solo]

The refs will do their best and media, clubs, managers and players will do their outmost to make the job of the referee impossible.

Same as always.

Only rule I want to see is that publicly criticising the referee should be a 5+ game suspension for any manager or player doing it.
Either that, or allow refs to publicly criticise players and managers for their efforts as footballers and coaches.

 

[nwgull]

I do like the 'umpire's call' one. One of my gripes with VAR is that subjective on-field decisions are often overruled by subjective off-field decisions for no reason other than they can. Any chance this will be applied to offsides? A quick glance at the monitor, yeah, he's not blatantly offside, let the decision stand.

I can't believe that this has taken 5 seasons to implement. By far the worst thing about VAR is that loads of subjective decisions end up being refereed twice. Rugby still gets this aspect seriously wrong in my opinion, for what it's worth.

Sort of agree with you on offsides. The main issue is that there's the slo-mo is about 50 frames per second, meaning that there's about a 15-20cm margin of error - ie 7.5-10cm either way. The VAR should benefit that margin to the on-field call. Example: if a goal is not flagged offside, the VAR must show that the attacker is at least 10cm offside to overule. It's still close, but nothing like the rediculous mm decisions that we've seen over the last few seasons.

 

[LamieRobertson]

Not to do with VAR but another change I hadn’t heard about or indeed read on NSC is that teams will get announced 75 mins before KO as against the current 60

 

[Guinness Boy]

The refs will do their best to give decisions to the big clubs and media, clubs, managers and players will do their outmost to make the job of the referee impossible.

Same as always.

Only rule I want to see is that publicly criticising the referee should be a 5+ game suspension for any manager or player doing it.
Either that, or allow refs to publicly criticise players and managers for their efforts as footballers and coaches.

 

[monty uk]

I agree.

But I also agree about the encroachment one - why the need to change it, I wasn't aware of it being raised as a concern or causing difficulties. And this bit: If it is a penalty taker's team-mate, the encroachment is relevant if they impact or distract the goalkeeper, scores or creates a chance is simply going to add subjectivity into something that at the moment is purely objective. How do you judge whether a striker running into the box to one side of the penalty-taker 'distracts' the keeper?

VAR can sort it out. Might take 5 minutes, but they'll come to a decision.

 

[Weststander]

I watched the Ipswich game today. Ipswich were caught offside countless times, some narrowly, yet the assistant refs called those too immediately and correctly.

(But listening to the hyperbole tw@t Darren Fletcher, he repeatedly overrode small facts such as flagged offsides, to paint a false picture of great second half breaks by Ipswich).

I like the change. From memory, last season clear offsides very often weren’t flagged. Ostensibly in the interests of a free-flowing game, but instead it led to VAR delays.

 

[mothy]

Hence dunks handball had no chance of being a penalty today

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Great if you're winning, rubbish if you're chasing. Don't really understand the reasoning of this one?

I’m not a huge fan of crazily long added minutes. Goals are a part of football. As such, teams should be allowed to celebrate them within reason and within the game minutes. Drawing a line at 30 seconds seems about right.

 

[South Stand Bonfire]

The refs will do their best and media, clubs, managers and players will do their outmost to make the job of the referee impossible.

Same as always.

Only rule I want to see is that publicly criticising the referee should be a 5+ game suspension for any manager or player doing it.
Either that, or allow refs to publicly criticise players and managers for their efforts as footballers and coaches.

Just send any player off for excessively complaining to the referee and surrounding the referee at disputed decisions and verbally abusing the ref (yes, includes your Mr D at Forest last year). That’ll improve things.

 

[Gazwag]

They put a full explanation of the penalty decision on the screen today so everybody could read why it wasn't given

 

[WhingForPresident]

The right outcomes came of the big decisions today. Lino could've been a bit more confident with his flag first half but no real complaints otherwise.

 

[amexer]

When Young fouled Mitoma I noticed Pedro and Hinch approach ref assume saying should be sent off. I was pleased they were not booked because I thought players were no longer allowed to approach ref.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Premier League 2024-25: New rules, new managers and what to expect this season

The Premier League begins this weekend, with Manchester City bidding to continue their supremacy in English football and Ipswich Town making their top-flight return.

www.bbc.co.uk

- The video assistant referee system will have a higher bar for intervening than before.
The "referee’s call" means that the VAR should only intervene if they can "see without any doubt the on-pitch official has made a clear mistake".
Otherwise the initial decision will stand. That means fewer stoppages for marginal decisions to be repeatedly rewatched.
"Let’s have the confidence to not be too forensic on our analysis," is what refereeing boss Howard Webb has said.

- The Premier League Match Centre account on social media platform X will post "near-live" explanations of VAR decisions.
It plans to show more replays and explain decisions on the big screens in stadiums, too.

- We will see a significant drop in stoppage time this season - because of a change in timing goal celebrations.
Until now time was added on for every second between the ball hitting the net and the kick-off being taken.
Now the clock will only be started after 30 seconds. So a game with six goals would have three minutes less of stoppage time.

- Away from VAR, attacking players blocking or obstructing opposition players at a set-piece will be penalised more strictly.
Ben White was trending on social media with the suggestion the Arsenal defender's actions from corners will result in more opposition free-kicks.

- The handball law will be relaxed a tad. Players have been told by the Premier League they do not have to move with their arms rigidly by their sides or behind their backs.
The position of their arm or hand will be judged in relation to the movement of their body.
"We get a sense that we give too many handballs for actions that are quite normal and justifiable," said Webb.
"The guidance to officials this season is less is more. You will see fewer harsh handball penalties."
Meanwhile, a non-deliberate handball that leads to a penalty will no longer be an automatic booking offence.

- During penalties the ball must be on or hanging over the centre of the penalty spot, rather than at any point on the spot.
Encroachment by players into the box when the penalty is taken will only be penalised if it has an impact.
That means if an opposition player has an impact on the kicker or prevents a goal or chance from a rebound.
If it is a penalty taker's team-mate, the encroachment is relevant if they impact or distract the goalkeeper, scores or creates a chance.

- Ball boys and girls will be allowed to give a ball to a goalkeeper to take a restart, instead of the keeper having to pick it up off a cone. The multiball system - picking the ball off a cone - will remain for outfield players.

- Five substitutes can warm up at the same time on the touchline, up from three.

They all seem fair enough and simple to apply, except the 'blocking or obstructing' one, which will probably die a death after a couple of games like many previous changes.

1. And yet yesterday when there was a penalty call they also checked for offside and other infringements. The human instinct to pry.

2. Stoppages times have gone through the roof so far.....

 

[chaileyjem]

Also pretty rubbish for fans who are already seeing less and less football (59 mins out of 90 last season- although that was up on the season before, probably thanks to all the more accurately added on additional time last season).

There were 13 minutes of added on time yesterday. It was quite a busy match - VAR, Injuries, goals - but seemed about right.

 

[chaileyjem]

Not to do with VAR but another change I hadn’t heard about or indeed read on NSC is that teams will get announced 75 mins before KO as against the current 60

Another quirky change is that instead of a max - 3 players warming up. You can now have 5. As per subs. Although didn’t see anyone doing it yesterday. Would get quite crowded on touchline if they did.