Keith Hackett exclusive: There’s no reason why fans can’t be kept informed on VAR decisions

It’s fair to say that Keith Hackett is a fan of the VAR system. “History has been made here,” he says of VAR’s debut in English football, made on Monday night in the FA Cup tie between Brighton and Crystal Palace. “I would hope that it would be introduced into the Premier League next season and that every game is covered.”

It was a quiet introduction for VAR in England until late in the match, when Glenn Murray scored a contentious winner for Brighton which some initially felt had shades of handball. Referee Andre Marriner was swift and decisive in asking Neil Swarbrick and assistant referee Peter Kirkup to check the incident, with the men in the studio relaying the message that there was no reason to disallow the goal.

Smooth start for VAR

All in all, it was a smooth transition from double checking to continuing the game. Though Palace manager Roy Hodgson was irate at first glance, he later conceded that he had no problems with the goal and that the VAR had helped Marriner make the right decision.

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Former Premier League referee Hackett praises Marriner and his team for using VAR effectively, adding that the technology has been a long time time coming. Pointing out that it can be used to assess not only fouls in the build-up but also offsides, penalty decisions, cases of mistaken identity and so on, his overall impression is that it should ease the pressure on referees considerably.

“It’s insurance cover against referee errors,” says Hackett, citing Mike Dean’s controversial penalty shout against Arsenal in their recent draw with West Brom as an example of a decision which might have been reversed by VAR. “Though the use of VAR will improve as referees get used to the new system – and there is bound to be the odd mistake along the way – there’s a lot of practice which has already taken place and referees have got to trust the VAR.

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“One of the things that we’ve talked about as referees in the past is that it’s a team effort. Prior to any big game, or any game in fact, the match referee will relay his pre-match instructions to his team. For me, the VAR is now another part of the referee’s team.”

Allow fans to listen in

One way in which Hackett believes VAR could be improved would be to learn from rugby union and allow fans to hear the referee’s decision-making process via his microphone. “The biggest shortfall at the moment is [that VAR in football is] not capturing the spirit of how rugby union uses VAR, or how cricket uses VAR,” he says.

“Those sports see it as part of the entertainment, as part of the reality of the game, and as fans we can see the process and listen in directly. I don’t see any reason why we – the fans, the experts, people in the media or those sat watching the game – can’t be kept informed as to what’s happening.”

Hackett points out that the ability to listen in to referees in rugby union has allowed fans, and other referees, to better understand the rules of the game and how they are applied in practice. “Why not communicate that?” he adds.

Nonetheless, he has little doubt that VAR will help referees get things right in an increasingly fast-paced and heavily scrutinised game. “Refereeing is not getting any easier,” he says. “In my day there were three cameras, now there are 22. In my day it was John Motson and Match of the Day, now we have forensic examination of almost every decision.

“The game’s moved on, and therefore the technology has to move on too.”

Keith Hackett is a former Premier League referee and referees’ assessor as well as a director for You Are The Ref.