Weber: The Premier League may further reform VAR; the threat of death to referees is a social issue

Hupu, August 15th, Howard Webber, as the chief referee of PGMOL, accepted an exclusive interview with the BBC.

VAR has been operating in the Premier League since the 2019-20 season and currently can only interfere with the penalty that is considered to change the outcome of the game - goals, direct red cards, penalty kicks and misjudgments.

"There will definitely be a discussion about possible decentralization, and some believe that we should use VAR more widely in some cases, but others think that it should not be done.

We will work to make the way VAR execute in line with the expectations of those in the English football community in consultation with fans, coaches and players.

The message we received is that the concept of VAR is "less is more", and we also fit this expectation well in the execution process.

VAR has been in place for seven years and is basically unchanged. If the game itself, or the person concerned thinks that using VAR is more useful for the game Benefit, I will certainly be open-minded – but we need to think carefully about the consequences and ripple effects. If you are referring to a wrongly judged yellow card, which may have an impact on the game, then you must also consider other situations.

I understand the impact of wrongly judged corner kicks (which is easy to see in the video) and the wrongly judged yellow card. But likewise, there are also people who think that VAR already exists and can correct obvious mistakes in major situations, so we will have a discussion on this and make sure to consult with the English football community. '

The Premier League 2025-26 season will kick off on Friday, when several new rules will be introduced.

In addition to reporting VAR penalty on the court, and only the captain can communicate with the referee about the major penalty, a new rule also stipulates that if the goalkeeper holds the ball for more than 8 seconds, the opponent will be awarded a corner kick.

"It is indeed a pretty radical change, but the basic idea is to get the ball back into the game faster, which is for prevention, not punishment.

Just like other sports - if you play tennis at Wimbledon, you have to serve within the prescribed time."

Weber believes that the abuse suffered by referees at all levels is more severe than ever and says that they are providing support to referees.

"People have a larger platform than ever before to express opinions, but some opinions are unacceptable.

We saw such an example in referees last season. The same goes for players and other players in the game. This reflects to some extent the current situation in society - it is normal for people to express strong opinions, and the game itself naturally creates disagreements in the gray area.

But the disagreement on the outcome of the game does not mean that referees can be abused on certain platforms, including threatening the safety of their families. This is completely unacceptable.

We provide good support for referees, including psychological support, mental health and well-being. We also provide support for their families."