Just In: Pilots Drafted in to Assist Premier League VAR 

Pilots were now hired to assist Premier League VAR operators in learning how to communicate successfully. The Premier League, plagued with VAR gaffes, took the desperate step of enlisting British Airways pilots to improve communication between TV room officials and on-field referees.

High-profile gaffes, most notably the Luis Diaz incident when Liverpool played Spurs in September and the more recent Anthony Gordon goal against Arsenal, pushed the league to take the unexpected step. Pilots Chris Heaven and Pete Nataraj gave a lecture that attempted to improve referee communication by limiting informal conversations and emphasizing clear, focused interaction.

To stay honest to fans, PGMOL released a couple of VAR audio snippets, which garnered criticism from various sections for the usage of colloquial terms such as “good process” and “cheers, mate” during evaluations. Heaven and Nataraj also emphasized the importance of quick communication processes, referring to a pilot landing in a foreign country with probable linguistic barriers.

They also recommended officials to plan ahead of time what information they will disseminate in order to prevent confusion. The initiative is thought to have been spearheaded by referees chief. They also recommended officials to plan ahead of time what information they will disseminate in order to prevent confusion.

The initiative is thought to have been led by referees chief and former official Howard Webb, who is enthusiastic about better educating VAR officials to reduce errors. The efficiency of the pilot-led communication session remains to be evaluated, as VAR officials will be scrutinized when the Premier League resumes this weekend following the international break.

The FA has already charged Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta with making “embarrassing” statements against VAR officials, which the Spaniard has decided to dispute. Further scandals over the weekend will further exacerbate the league’s problems.