Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool set to be involved in first in-stadium VAR announcement | OneFootball

Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool and Newcastle will be part of the first use of in-stadium VAR announcements in English football in the Carabao Cup semi-finals.

Current holders Liverpool head to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to face out of sorts Spurs whilst Mikel Arteta’s side travel up to Newcastle the following day.

Along with the second legs that take place the following week, all four fixtures will have VAR and in-stadium announcements.

As part of the trial, referees will announce the final decision over the stadium public address system, but any dialogue with VAR before or during the visit to the VAR pitchside monitor will not be announced in the stadium.

In-stadium VAR announcements were in place at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and will be a welcome introduction for supporters in the stadium to have more clarity to the decision-making process that fans watching from home have access to.

The news comes after the announcement in November that semi-automated offside, which was meant to be introduced in the Premier League during the autumn international break, will not be introduced until 2025 due to further testing being carried out on the technology.

The initiative is part of the Professional Game Match Officials Board’s (PGMOL) drive for transparency. They hope to demystify key decisions for fans in attendance and at home.

“Referees will announce the final decision following a visit to the VAR pitchside monitor or upon the conclusion of factual matters such as accidental handball by a goalscorer or offside offences where the attacker touches the ball,” explained a PGMOL statement.