Premier League to consult with clubs over giving VAR more power next season | OneFootball

Premier League clubs are to be canvassed on whether they wish to introduce VAR checks for corner kick awards from next season, following a new option provided by football’s lawmaking body.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has given competitions the green light to implement corner checks this summer, provided they do not cause delays to the game.

This change will be adopted for the upcoming World Cup in North America, but the Premier League must still decide on its domestic application.

Clubs were briefed on the potential law changes by the league’s director of football, Tony Scholes, at a meeting on Thursday, with a survey now expected to be distributed to gather their views.

This development comes as Uefa prepares to convene with the Premier League and other major European divisions this summer, aiming to establish a unified approach to VAR interpretation.

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Roberto Rosetti raised concerns that VAR is becoming too ‘microscopic’ (AP)

There is a clear determination within Uefa to align how the VAR protocol is understood and applied, with discussions on a more consistent approach planned after the World Cup.

Roberto Rosetti, Uefa’s referees chief, expressed concerns last month that VAR was drifting from its original purpose of correcting "clear and obvious" errors, becoming overly "microscopic".

He stated: "I believe we need to, at the end of the season, speak about this, because we cannot go in this direction of microscopic VAR intervention." Rosetti added: "We love football like it is."

Highlighting the issue of differing interpretations, such as with handball decisions, Rosetti emphasised the need for consistency.

"I believe that in Europe, we must speak only one technical language. For us, this is the target. We cannot speak different technical languages across Europe. It’s not good," he said.

"We need only one technical interpretation. We are speaking a lot. We were speaking a lot before the season – we need to speak again."

As of mid-February, the Premier League recorded an average of 0.15 on-field VAR reviews per game this season, a figure that compares favourably to the 0.36 seen in the Champions League.