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Premier League Confirm Massive VAR Change To Stop 'Armpit Offsides' Next Season

Premier League Confirm Massive VAR Change To Stop 'Armpit Offsides' Next Season

The controversial VAR offside lines are being changed going into the 2021/22 Premier League campaign.

Josh Lawless

Josh Lawless

The Premier League will make huge changes to the VAR offside lines going into next season.

Last season saw regular outrage from fans and players alike due to a number of marginal offside calls that went against attackers over the course of the campaign.

On a number of occasions, players had goals disallowed for their armpits or toenails being offside and the approach taken has been widely unpopular.

However, Martin Ziegler from The Times reports that some significant adjustments will be made for 2021/22 in the top flight.

Following on from the Premier League's annual meeting, there will be "thicker lines" for offsides next term - meaning the benefit of the doubt will be returned to attacking players.

Going forward, if a player's armpit or toe is ever so slightly offside, they will not be harshly penalised as was the case under the previous system

This process has been adopted by UEFA and the Dutch League, where a 10cm margin of error is given on the assistant referee's call.

Instead of a razor thin one-pixel line, the Eredivisie simply has 5cm wide lines on screen.

Tottenham talisman Harry Kane recently highlighted his feelings over the amount of goals disallowed to marginal offsides, having experienced the frustration himself.

"I don't think scrap it, I think there definitely needs to be adjustments to it," he said on The Overlap with Gary Neville.

"There's been many a goal where the margin for error is so small and that are offside. It takes away that instant moment of scoring a goal that's one of the best feelings you'll ever feel in football.

"When VAR was coming in, I guess everyone, the fans especially, thought, 'Okay, we're gonna get a definitive answer, it's a red card or it's not a red card'.

"But it's still a matter of opinion, it's still been many decisions where you know, it's a 50:50 we're not quite sure. There's still been talk after but people expect it to be right because VAR is there, so I think there just needs to be adjustments."

A recent survey involving more than 33,000 fans found that 44 per cent would attend fewer games due to VAR.

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Topics: Football, Premier League, VAR