Referees will announce any video assistant referee decisions to football supporters inside stadiums in England for the first time during the Carabao Cup semi-finals.
As part of a trial, referees will announce final decisions following a visit to the VAR pitchside monitor or when rulings are made on factual matters such as accidental handball by a goalscorer or offside offences where the attacker touches the ball.
Such announcements are common in other sports such as rugby union and American football and the system was trialled during the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
Both legs in each of the semi-finals – Arsenal v Newcastle and Tottenham v Liverpool – will be included in the trial.
Refereeing authority PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) says the move is part of its “commitment to transparency” and hopes it will provide greater clarity and understanding around key decisions.
Referees have been preparing for the in-stadium announcements at training camps and have practised at stadiums already. The officials for the matches will be announced on Tuesday.
The Premier League Match Centre account on X posts “near-live” explanations of VAR decisions this season, but this will be the first time spoken announcements have been given to crowds.
The first legs of the cup semi-finals will be played on 7 and 8 January 2025, with the return fixtures on 5 and 6 February.
