Premier League outline VAR approach before Ipswich Town v Sunderland | OneFootball

The Premier League have set out new transparency steps and Howard Webb has outlined a light-touch use of VAR before 2026/27, with Sunderland opening at Ipswich Town this weekend.

The league will publish Key Match Incidents Panel judgements and VAR decisions, and will broadcast RefCam footage plus on-field audio between referees and players. A BBC report said selected direct quotes from referees and VARs will also appear on the Premier League website, app and Match Centre X account.

Sunderland adjusted to VAR in their first season back in the top flight and now know how it will be applied at Portman Road.

“We like to apply a light touch approach to VAR. We like to reserve it for those situations which are clear and obviously wrong, where there is an injustice which needs to be rectified.” He told Sky Sports.

“I think that’s a direction of travel that many in the game are taking. I had meetings with colleagues in UEFA fairly recently and it’s clear to me that UEFA and other governing bodies in Europe, and I think elsewhere, are of a similar mind.”

“VAR is great when it works as a tool to rectify clear errors, minimum delays but a tool that rectifies something that is clearly wrong.”

Source: Sunderland Echo

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