VAR expert tells viewers to ‘ignore’ Sky Sports after information shared during Man Utd vs Fulham

A VAR expert has told viewers to 'ignore' Sky Sports after a piece of information about the technology was shared on commentary during Manchester United versus Fulham.

The two clubs are opening the Premier League season at Old Trafford - the first time United have done so in six years.

Erik ten Hag's side came close on numerous occasions in the first half, with Bruno Fernandes seeing a close-range effort saved by Bernd Leno in the Fulham goal.

United's captain had another opportunity to give his side the lead, while Casemiro fired over from long distance.

Another talking point involved the Sky Sports commentary, which claimed that the threshold for VAR decisions was much higher using a new term called 'Referee's Call'.

But VAR expert Dale Johnson took issue with the comments, writing on Twitter: "Ignore those comms. The threshold for VAR isn't 'much higher' this season. It's staying exactly the same.

"'Referee's Call' is just a new term, not a change of approach."

The Premier League's Chief Football Officer, Tony Scholes, has since cleared up confusion over 'Referee's Call'.

He says (via Henry Winter): "[It] really is just an introduction of a terminology to make it clear that the initial decision by the on-pitch official is critical.

"The referee's call should stand unless the VAR, based on readily available evidence, can see without doubt the on-pitch official has made a clear mistake.

"In the absence of that clear evidence, the referee's call will stand."

Maguire 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/tpMPHJmZpj

— M'S MUKTAR (@ms_muktar16) August 16, 2024

There is one significant adjustment to VAR, however, with the introduction of the Premier League Match Centre account on Twitter.

The new account aims to give real-time explanations for VAR decisions made by those at Stockley Park.

It has explained two incidents within the first hour of the United vs Fulham match - the decision to award Harry Maguire a yellow card for simulation inside the penalty area, and deciding not to award a penalty to United for a challenge by Alex Iwobi and Antonee Robinson.

On both occasions, the VAR sided with the referee's call.

More to follow...