Premier League managers make clear VAR demand to Howard Webb

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Premier League bosses have met with PGMOL chief Howard Webb to call for a change to VAR . They want to top-flight matches staffed in a new way, according to League Managers Association CEO Richard Bevan .

The LMA are calling for referees to be paired up with specific video assistant referees so that partnerships can form. They believe more consistent officiating will take place as a result.

Bevan has suggested Webb and PGMOL are working towards forming a greater understanding between referees and video assistant referees. Recruitment appears to be causing a problem, however.

The LMA chief executive has acknowledged that VAR is here to stay and believes work must be done to rectify the errors currently occurring . A permanent VAR referee would go some way to solving this in his view.

Speaking exclusively on the Footy Accumulators No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, Bevan outlined his position to former Sunderland and Bolton manager Sam Allardyce .

He said: “We’ve had a lot of Premier League managers' meetings with Howard Webb about VAR, some good and some not so good. Premier League managers would like to see the VAR referee being someone who is refereeing with the man on the pitch every week, so there’s not a nervous relationship.

“That’s so they understand each other, they understand how they operate to a greater degree, and Howard Webb and PGMOL are working towards that.

“Recruitment is a big issue for them, and training and development. I think they will get there eventually, but it's about trying to make fewer errors, because VAR is here to stay.

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"The VAR referee should be permanent, not one week on and one week off. The more games that they do, then practice makes perfect."

Technology could yet become more involved in Premier League matches . Proposals that could see video technology permitted to overturn incorrect second yellow cards are to be submitted to the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the independent guardians of the rules of association football.

January will see the body's Annual Business Meeting, where the topic will be up for discussion, and it will be debated whether video match officials should be allowed to intervene as part of the VAR protocol. Currently, only direct red cards or cautions resulting from mistaken identity can be overturned.

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