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how does VAR work in the Premier League

VAR in the Premier League has been stirring the pot of controversy since its introduction in 2019.

Some praise its precision in officiating, while critics argue it kills the spontaneity and flow of the game.

Still, like it or not, the technology is here to stay, with its use now standard in all major international competitions and across over 61 countries’ domestic leagues.

In this guide, we’ll go through everything you need to know about VAR’s operations, outlining the calls it’s responsible for, the Premier League VAR review process and four contentious rulings we hope to never see repeated.

What Can VAR Review?

VAR means? ‘Video Assistant Referee’ and is designed to assist on-field referees.

It does this by reviewing video footage to potentially overturn clear and obvious errors, serious missed incidents, penalty decisions (+ any offenses leading to them), direct red card incidents and cases of mistaken identity.

Throughout the 90 minutes of a Premier League match, VAR officials continuously monitor all gameplay for crucial events—these are known as routine VAR checks.

Should an anomaly or error surface, the situation may escalate to an on-field review (OFR), prompting the referee to pause the match and conduct a video examination at the pitch-side monitor.

Goal/No Goal

Confirming goal decisions is one of the major functions of VAR in the Premier League.

Every time the ball goes over the line (or is perceived to do so), the responsible match officials review for potential offside players, fouls or handballs in the build-up.

In fact, anyone who regularly watches and bets on soccer will have seen tight offside calls during clear goal-scoring opportunities left to resolve naturally, with VAR making a decision following the conclusion of play to avoid game interruptions.

While celebrations unfold, VAR officials communicate directly with the referee via headset, either confirming the goal’s validity or advising if discrepancies are detected.

Penalty/No Penalty

A similar process governs penalty incidents in the Premier League, with VAR stepping in to scrutinize every awarded or potential penalty.

If officials call for a penalty, VAR checks the entire attacking possession phase preceding the incident for any infractions, as well as the specific event leading to the decision.

The same happens when questionable actions occur in the box that may escape the referee’s immediate observation.

For clear-cut situations—like offsides or the ball going out of play before the foul—VAR directly instructs the referee to reverse the penalty decision.

However, for more subjective calls, such as determining a foul or handball, VAR assesses whether there was a “clear and obvious error” based on the broadcast footage versus the referee’s initial perception.

Should inconsistencies arise between the referee’s account and video evidence, the VAR team may suggest a decision revision. An OFR is often employed in these instances, with the final judgment always resting with the on-field official.

Mistaken Identity

Remember the City vs. CSKA Champions League match in 2014, where Pontus Wernbloom should have seen red? Or the Da Silva twins’ blunder in the Carling Cup clash with Barnsley?

Incidents like these are precisely what VAR in soccer aims to eliminate. If the referee incorrectly assigns a yellow or red card to the wrong player after an offense, VAR can intervene to rectify the identity, although the original violation is only reviewable if it pertains to a goal, a penalty, or a direct red card situation.

Straight Red Card

VAR is also responsible for reviewing every direct red card to confirm each decision is justified.

It also checks incidents where the on-field referee has issued a yellow card or no card but which might warrant a sending off.

If the VAR team identifies what they deem an obvious error in the referee’s initial decision, they can recommend an overturn, with the final call once again resting with the on-field referee after an OFR.

Additionally, for severe incidents that match officials may not have noticed, VAR has a limited time to intervene: up to the next stoppage if the ball is in play, and until the second stoppage if the ball is out of play.

Good to know: In the Premier League, VAR won’t step in when a second yellow card is given (even if it leads to a sending-off) unless there’s a compelling case to upgrade it directly to a red.

The Check Process

From kick-off to the final whistle, VAR Checks are automatically triggered for every potential or actual goal, penalty, direct red card decision or case of mistaken identity.

The stakes are high when every check is made, millions of fans’ sweat and precious Premier League points for some of the most valuable soccer clubs in the world are going head to head so it’s important to get the process right.

Here’s how each check unfolds during the match:

Initiation of check: VAR automatically begins reviewing footage for every key decision or incident.

Review speed and detail:
- Normal speed: Used to assess the intensity of an offense or to determine if an incident constitutes a handball.
- Slow motion: Applied to ascertain factual details such as the position of an offense/player, point of contact for physical offenses, handball situations, or whether the ball was in or out of play.

Outcome of the check:
- Silent check: If VAR does not find an error or serious missed incident, no communication with the on-field referee is necessary and play goes on without interruption.
- Communication with on-field officials: If helpful for managing the match, VAR may still inform the referee that no significant errors were found.

Signaling by the referee: To indicate a check delay, the referee places a finger on the earpiece and extends the other arm, keeping this pose until the check concludes to show they are receiving updates.

Decision to escalate:
- If the check reveals a potential error or a serious missed incident, VAR communicates this to the referee.
- The referee then decides whether to initiate a full review based on the information provided by VAR.

The Review Process

In ‘clear and obvious errors’ or ‘serious missed incidents,’ VAR requests a halt in play for a review.

The referee can also initiate this if they suspect a serious incident has been missed.

Stopping play: If play has not already stopped, the referee stops the game when the ball is in a neutral zone. They signal the start of a review by displaying the ‘TV signal’.

Review execution: The VAR team describes the situation to the referee based on TV replays. From that point, the referee can opt for:
- A VAR-only review: For factual decisions, the referee may rely solely on VAR’s guidance without viewing footage.
- An on-field review (OFR): For subjective decisions, the referee views the replay at the sideline monitor.

Final decision: The referee signals the completion of the review with the ‘TV signal’ followed by the final decision.

Restart of play: The referee takes or rescinds any disciplinary actions as appropriate. Play then resumes according to the?Laws of the Game based on the final decision.

Hawk-Eye Offside Technology

Back in April 2024, clubs in the Premier League unanimously consented to the introduction of Hawk-Eye Semi-Automated Offside Technology (SAOT) by November of the 2024/25 season.

This technology is already utilized in other top-tier competitions and has been a success in the UEFA Champions League, at at Euro 2024.

How Hawk-Eye SAOT Works

Hawk-Eye SAOT employs a network of 12 high-frame-rate cameras positioned around the stadium, specifically focused on tracking each player’s movement during the game. Each camera captures multiple data points—up to 29 per player, including limbs and extremities that influence offside positions.

These then feed real-time data into a processing system that uses advanced algorithms to calculate players’ positions on the pitch.

When a potential offside incident occurs, the system instantly analyzes the exact moment the ball is played and compares it against the positions of all relevant players.

Decisions are rendered much quicker—typically within a few seconds compared to the manual Premier League VAR review process, which can take over a minute.

Fans will receive real-time visual feedback, as sophisticated graphics depicting the decision-making process and outcomes will be shown in the stadium and on television broadcasts.

Hawk-Eye SAOT will not replace the existing VAR in soccer but will augment it.

Officials will continue to use the current technology as a backup, especially in scenarios where the semi-automated system might be obstructed (e.g., multiple players blocking the camera’s view).

Goal Line Technology

Goal-line technology was officially introduced in the Premier League at the start of the 2013-2014 season with the objective to definitively determine whether the ball has crossed the goal line.

This system, separate from VAR but integrated into the decision-making framework, utilizes up to 7 high-speed cameras on each side of the pitch. These send a signal to the referee’s watch if the entire ball crosses the goal line.

how does VAR work in the Premier League — Image: Rebecca Bollwitt/Wikimedia Commons

A high-profile incident where goal-line technology proved its worth occurred during a match between Manchester City and Liverpool on January 3, 2019.

A shot by Sadio Mane rebounded off the post and nearly resulted in a goal before John Stones managed a desperate clearance.

The ball was only 11mm from fully crossing the line, with goal-line technology stepping in to staunch the celebrations and keep Liverpool from taking the lead.

That very same season, the Citizens narrowly won the Premier League by a single point over the Merseyside team.

Who are the VAR Operators in the Premier League?

Hawk-Eye-Innovations is the company behind VAR in the Premier League.

2023/2024 was the first full season match officials worked from the new VAR Hub at Stockley Park in West London.

A team comprising a Video Assistant Referee (VAR), an Assistant VAR (AVAR), and a Replay Operator oversees every match.

They are responsible for reviewing incidents using pitch-facing broadcast cameras, some of which provide slow-motion replays.

As of 2024, the list of English Video Match Officials includes:

Stuart Attwell
Darren England
Jarred Gillett
Christopher Kavanagh
Andrew Madley
Craig Pawson
Lee Betts
Sian Massey-Ellis
Peter Bankes
David Coote
Michael Salisbury

Is VAR Used Differently in the Premier League to Other Competitions?

Despite sharing fundamental principles, VAR in the Premier League is implemented slightly differently compared to other competitions like the Champions League. Here’s how:

Handball interpretation: In the Champions League, any handball in the penalty area that changes the trajectory of the ball is automatically considered a penalty. In contrast, VAR in the Premier League allows more room for interpretation and assesses whether the handball was intentional or a player’s hand was in an unnatural position.
Offside decisions: Premier League linesmen are instructed to raise their flag for offside, even if it disrupts a potentially dangerous attack. The referee would then delay the whistle until the end of play.
Goalkeeper positioning during penalties: In the Premier League, the on-field referee needs to request VAR assistance to check if a goalkeeper has moved off the line before a penalty is taken. The Champions League, however, utilizes VAR directly to make this assessment without needing any initial checks.
Use of pitchside monitors: The Premier League has a different approach to using pitchside monitors. In some doubtful situations, the referee may not need to review the incident on the monitor but can rely on guidance from VAR through his earpiece.
Broadcast replays: For those attending the games, the Premier League displays replays of incidents reviewed by VAR on big screens in the stadium for increased transparency.

Most Controversial VAR Decisions in the Premier League

Just like human referees miss a call, so does high-tech VAR in the Premier League—only its blunders make bigger waves when they disrupt crucial moments in top-tier matches.

Here are four instances it made headlines for the wrong reasons:

Andre Onana’s challenge (2023/2024): In his debut for Manchester United, Onana failed to collect a cross, instead colliding with Sasa Kalajdzic. VAR failed to recommend a review, costing Wolves a potential point in their opening match. Later on, the Key Match Incidents Panel (KMI) confirmed the error.
Pervis Estupi?án’s disallowed goal (2022/2023): Estupi?án scored a goal for Brighton that was incorrectly disallowed for offside after VAR drew the offside line from the wrong player.
Tomas Soucek’s handball vs Chelsea (2023/2024 A late penalty claim was denied when Tomas Soucek of West Ham used his hand to block a goal-bound shot against Chelsea. The decision was heavily criticized for not being consistent with how handballs are typically judged.
Luis Diaz’s disallowed goal (2023/2024): Luis Diaz’s goal for Liverpool was erroneously ruled offside due to a miscommunication between the on-field referee Simon Hooper and VAR Darren England. Tottenham went on to score shortly after, with The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) later admitting the mistake and issuing an apology.

Conclusion

There have absolutely been tons of positives brought along with VAR in the Premier League.

True, the calls might drag a bit, and that sweet moneyline bet on soccer could go south before you finish your victory lap.

But the bottom line is that accuracy prevails most times, and as the tech sharpens, we expect nothing but improved accuracy and efficiency going forward.