Left in the dark - will fans ever get to hear live VAR audio?

Fans inside stadiums were again denied the audio behind a controversial VAR check as Manchester City's winning goal involving an offside check on Enzo Fernández left 74,161 at Old Trafford without an explanation they could hear. Television viewers were able to follow the VAR conversation, but match-going supporters at Old Trafford — and at Selhurst Park during Axel Disasi's lengthy red-card review — were left in the dark.

WHAT HAPPENED
Television commentary teams can hear what the VAR is saying but not the referee on the pitch, giving broadcasters context that stadium spectators do not receive. Calls for greater openness have been led in England by Howard Webb since he became the Premier League referees' chief in 2022. The league has introduced measures such as RefCam with live audio this season, published transcripts of VAR-referee discussions and launched the Match Officials Mic'd Up show.

KEY CONTEXT
Webb brought ideas from his time overseeing referees in Major League Soccer. MLS previously became the first league to share VAR audio publicly after matches in 2019 via Inside VAR, and in August 2020 — during the MLS is Back Tournament — it briefly broadcast live VAR audio during matches. That experiment was considered a success, but, the BBC reports, six years on there have been no further live-audio trials anywhere.

Efforts to introduce live VAR audio into regular matches have stalled amid disagreement between competitions and football's lawmakers. Webb has been part of a working group lobbying to relax the rules to allow live audio, but the IFAB and, in particular, FIFA are "not close to being on board". Concerns cited include the quality of communications worldwide, extra pressure on officials during reviews and potential effects on referees' credibility. IFAB secretary and chief executive Lukus Brud told BBC Sport three years ago that allowing live audio would be "chaotic" because of the number of people speaking.

DIFFERENT LEAGUE APPROACHES
Leagues have taken varied routes on transparency. La Liga publishes VAR audio and video of every subjective "external" intervention across social media a few hours after matches. Serie A cancelled its Open VAR programme at the end of last season, citing the pressure it placed on officials. The Bundesliga does not currently have a VAR show and only shares audio clips when relevant. In England, Match Officials Mic'd Up has been a notable step but remains a monthly show rather than live match audio, and several contentious incidents have occurred with no audio released.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
The Premier League's Match Officials Mic'd Up will air its first edition of the season on Tuesday, an opportunity to publish the audio of recent high-profile VAR checks. Beyond that, discussions within the working group and IFAB's reluctance mean there is no immediate agreement to introduce live VAR audio into matches.

Source: BBC Sport Football