Premier League to share VAR decision judgments with fans for the first time

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FT Desk

The Premier League will share Video Assistant Referee judgments from the Key Match Incidents Panel with fans from this season onwards.

The KMI Panel reviews major refereeing and VAR decisions after English top-flight matches. It looks at incidents such as penalties, red cards, goals and offsides to determine whether the correct decision was made by the officials.

The panel includes Premier League and refereeing representatives, as well as former players or coaches. Its findings help provide independent feedback and greater transparency about important match decisions.

Up until now, those findings have remained private, but the Premier League is keen for increased transparency among stakeholders which is why anyone will be able to see the justification for why a decision was deemed correct or incorrect.

The feedback will not be provided live, but will appear on the Premier League's Match Centre account on X, on the Premier League website and the Premier League app not long after.

The competition is restricted in that regard, as the International Football Association Board (IFAB) still refuses to permit the live broadcast of VAR discussions as they happen during a game.

Another new initiative to aid transparency will be the broadcast of audio from the RefCam which was introduced last season.

Ref Cam gives viewers a closer look at key moments from the referee’s perspective during Premier League matches.

After introducing selected in-game video clips last season, the feature will be expanded next season to include audio clips as well. Ref Cam is used in around one or two matches per matchday, and the footage and audio will only be shared for specific incidents.

VAR audio will not be included, following the aforementioned restrictions set by IFAB.

BBC Sport reports that there were 25 VAR errors in the 2025/26 season, up from 18 in the 2024-25 campaign