Explainers

NOTHING splits opinion like VAR – but Premier League bosses are hoping this season will be different.After controversy over offside goals and penalties last season, officials are making changes to the rules in 2021/22 to try smooth out the issues.

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Prem bosses want to avoid VAR controversy in the new seasonCredit: The Times
What are the changes to how VAR gives penalties this season?
After a number of controversial incicdents last season involving penalties, Prem chiefs are making changes for the new campaign.
And the main change comes in the way referees will determine ‘contact’ within the box.
Last season, if a penalty decision was reviewed by VAR and then the ref, slow-motion contact between two players would usually result in a penalty kick being awarded.
But now the rules have been tightened up – and it should result in less spot-kicks this time around.
Penalties should no longer be awarded for contact alone, instead there must be a clear foul shown within the box.
Referees will no longer be looking just for contact, but clear fouls in the boxCredit: Getty
Referees must make the judgement call on whether that contact has been enough to impede the attacker.
There are also changes to the rules on handball, with a change to the wording around making the body ‘unnaturally bigger’.
This will give referees greater scope to make a call based on the actual movement of the player and his momentum.
So expect a penalty if a player moves his hand towards the ball or has his arms stretched out, but nothing to be given if a player is struck at speed with his hands by his sides.

What are the other changes?
There are a host of other changes coming this season, which include

Thicker lines on VAR decisions, making the offside process simpler and giving the benefit of the doubt to the attacker.
Accidental handballs in the run-up to goals will no longer be penalised.
Linesmen can now put up their flag immediately if there is no immediate goalscoring opportunity, rather than waiting for an attacker to touch the ball.
There will be NINE subs allowed on the bench in the Prem, but you can only use three in the game.
Backing into jumping defenders – as Harry Kane was criticised for doing last term – will now be regarded as dangerous play. More

THE Premier League is back – but let’s hope VAR controversy is a thing of the past.Brought in to prevent howlers and help referees make the correct call, the Video Assistant Referee continues to divide fans around the country.

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Expect to see this screen plenty of times in the Prem this season – but bosses hope changes to the rules will appease fansCredit: PA
With the system here to stay in the Premier League, bosses have introduced new rules for the 2021/22 season in effort to avoid the farcical scenes of the last two campaigns.
What are changes to VAR offside rules this season?
There were a number of calls last season which were measured in millimetres, infuriating fans amid calls that the technology wasn’t doing the job it was intended for.
And referee bosses have admitted that around TWENTY goals not given last season, should have been.
PGMOL boss Mike Riley explained: “Effectively what we have done is given back 20 goals to the game that were deemed offside last season by using quite forensic scrutiny.
“So it’s the toenails, the noses of players that were offside – they won’t be offside now.”
The lines drawn this season will be thicker – and bosses hope that will lead to clearer decision makingCredit: Sky Sports
To combat the issue, VAR this season will use thicker lines to determine if a player is offside or not.
Last campaign, the lines drawn by the Video Assistant Referee were millimeteres thick – this lead to decisions such as Patrick Bamford’s disallowed goal against Crystal Palace.
The new lines will be 5cm wide – as seen in Euro 2020 – providing a greater margin of error with an offside only given if the attacker is noticeably past the defensive line.
Offsides will also be measured from the armpit down, while TV viewers will no longer see the lines being drawn in real time.

Has anything else changed?
The VAR system is still a work in progress and expect it to throw up more controversy this season, even with the new rules in place.
Officials are working hard to perfect the process though and there are some more minor changes coming in 2021/22.
These include:

Accidental handballs in the run-up to goals will no longer be penalised.
Contact will no longer be enough to give a penalty – officials will have to decide whether the contact has impeded the attacker.
Linesmen can now put up their flag immediately if there is no immediate goalscoring opportunity, rather than waiting for an attacker to touch the ball.
There will be NINE subs allowed on the bench in the Prem, but you can only use three in the game.
Backing into jumping defenders – as Harry Kane was criticised for doing last term – will now be regarded as dangerous play. More