PREMIER LEAGUE VAR officials may have to quit their Stockley Park matchday base when football returns.
Games behind-closed-doors are a certainty whenever the green light is given.
Mike Riley pictured overseeing the Premier League VAR hub at Stockley Park in actionCredit: Getty Images – Getty
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But Covid-19 restrictions such as continuation of social distancing will impact the video assistant referee teams, led by Mike Riley.
Normally VARs work in the same room at the hub near Heathrow, with a bank of screens and three-man technical teams operating on each match.
But Prem chiefs acknowledge up to 30 people filling a small room with multiple matches taking place simultaneously will be a non-starter.
That means mobile vans, capable of moving around the country, may be used to house the VAR in stadia car parks.
Uefa operates that system in the Champions League, rather than a Prem-style central hub, as does Italy’s Serie A.
The only time Stockley Park has not been used so far was when a mobile unit covered Burton Albion’s Carabao Cup semi-final second-leg with Manchester City last season.
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FAN-TASTIC GESTURE
Lockdowned fans have been offered the chance to ‘play’ at Wembley as part of an FA campaign.
Supporters can upload videos of their soccer skills through social media using the hashtag #FootballsStayingHome.
Wembley’s giant screens will then be used to stream the best entries to millions worldwide via the FA and England social media channels.
BREAK IT UP
The Premier League’s winter break is set to be put on hold next season in a bid to help ease fixture congestion.
February’s introduction, the first season of a three-year trial, saw the scheduled match-day games split over two weekends.
It caused controversy when FA Cup fourth- round replays intervened and Liverpool fielded a youth team in their win over Shrewsbury, with Spurs, Southampton and Newcastle also affected.
The idea was to recharge batteries with a view to helping England prepare for tournaments.
But with the next Prem campaign now looking at a September start, league chiefs expect club bosses will vote to cancel the experiment before reintroducing it in 2022.
BANK ON IT
Credit card giants Visa have pledged to ensure women’s football does not take a coronavirus hit.
It was confirmed yesterday that the 2021 Women’s Euros, scheduled to be held in England, will be pushed back 12 months in line with the delayed men’s Euro 2020 and Tokyo Olympics.
Now Uefa chiefs and Commonwealth Games organisers have drafted plans for a Women’s Super Sunday on July 30, 2022.
That will see the T20 cricket gold medal match at Birmingham’s Edgbaston ground, followed by the Wembley final of the Euros.
Stephen Day, head of sponsorship for Visa, vowed the company’s commitment to growing the women’s game will not suffer.
Day said: “There’s a danger women’s football could lose momentum.
“But we signed up with Uefa on a seven-year deal, which means sustained, long-term investment to improve coverage and participation and develop role models.
“Those things all still apply.”
PIERCE PROMOTION
Ex-French Open winner Mary Pierce has been appointed to head representation of the women’s game on a new body set up by the International Tennis Federation.
Aussie doubles expert Mark Woodforde will take a similar role on the men’s side, as part of the ITF World Tennis Tour Player Panel.
Pierce, 45, said: “There is no tennis without the players, so it is vital that their views are considered. I will ensure their opinions are heard at every level.”
Piers Morgan blasts footballer Mesut Ozil for not accepting Arsenal’s coronavirus pay cut proposal
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
