A former Premier League referee urged his colleagues not to rely too heavily on VAR

Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has warned his colleagues, urging them not to rely too heavily on VAR in the new season. This statement comes amidst discussions about how the video assistance system will be used in the upcoming campaign.

According to the new regulations, VAR will operate under a "referee's call" principle, similar to the system used in cricket, which is expected to eliminate the overly precise nature of situation reviews. Referees will only review clear errors, not minor inconsistencies, bringing VAR back to its original concept — correcting obvious mistakes.

Clattenburg emphasized that referees should rely more on their own decisions on the pitch, rather than on VAR assistance, as was the case last season. He pointed out that referees often avoided making instant decisions, relying on the video assistant, which led to inconsistency in decisions and caused dissatisfaction among fans.

Last season, controversies around VAR frequently made headlines. For example, Wolverhampton attempted to initiate a vote to abolish the system, but their proposal was rejected.

Clattenburg also noted that the quality of refereeing in the league has declined due to a lack of experienced officials. He mentioned Michael Oliver and Anthony Taylor, who are forced to take responsibility for the most important matches due to the shortage of qualified staff. Taylor faced criticism for his use of VAR at the Euros, particularly for decisions in the Netherlands and Germany matches.

The former referee was one of the best in the Premier League during his 13-year career in the top division. In 2017, he left the league to join the Saudi Arabian Football Federation as head of referees, replacing Webb. The peak of his career came in 2016 when Clattenburg officiated the Euro 2016 final and the UEFA Champions League final.