⚽️ IFAB Boss Says VAR Audio Will Not Be Released Live

Good morning. With the Premier League on a midweek Carabao Cup hiatus, the biggest stories today come from off the pitch. We will touch on the Cup’s Round of 16 results in greater depth tomorrow.

In the email today:

VAR began as almost a star chamber. Match officials you saw on the field made calls. Then the video assistant referee — who wasn’t even in the building — contacted the on-field match referee and either suggested that that official look at a monitor or, in the case of offside, simply made the call. Fans unsurprisingly wanted transparency with this. To an extent, they have it, as VAR audio has been made available. But for now, anyway, VAR audio being broadcast during the match is a bridge too far.

• The chief executive of the International Football Association Board (IFAB), Lukas Brud, has ruled out broadcasting the audio of VAR decisions live during games, citing concerns about it creating a chaotic experience for viewers.

• IFAB is conducting trials where referees announce their final decisions to the crowd, which started at the Women's World Cup and is likely to extend to domestic competitions.

• IFAB does not plan to broadcast live discussions between officials and the VAR hub, as it involves many people talking simultaneously and therefore could be counterproductive for viewers.

• VAR audio is only allowed to be shared in the days following a match, and some top European leagues have started embracing this by launching TV shows that feature VAR audio.

• Brud rejected comparisons to other sports like cricket and rugby and emphasized that the current VAR system should not be overhauled due to rare and exceptional errors.

Our take: Yeah, this is a terrible idea. VAR is under significant siege and scrutiny as it is. Putting the VAR audio into match broadcasts would invite chaos and further embolden the tin foil hat crowd who think it’s all rigged anyway.

2) EPL Sees Burgeoning Trend of Away Supporters Filling Stadiums of Weaker Teams

There was a time in English soccer where you really couldn’t do something like show up to Millwall or Leeds United in the opponent’s colors. Even if your team won, when the home supporters chanted at you that “you’ll never make the station,” they meant it. 

Gentler times now, and so the trend of away fans of better teams snapping up tickets to away matches at the stadiums of the league’s also-rans isn’t about to slow down.

• The Premier League's global popularity has made away tickets increasingly scarce, leading to more fans sitting in the "wrong end" of the stadium.

• Some clubs are constantly adjusting their ticket policies to minimize the chances of trouble and encouraging home fans to report any issues.

• Identifying fans in the "wrong end" can be challenging, as details like accents or phone backgrounds may only appear to reveal their allegiance to the away side, sometimes leading to false accusations.

• The demand for tickets is growing, while away allocations remain fixed, causing fans to seek seats among home supporters and either blend in or risk detection.

• The Premier League is evolving from a domestic league to a global entertainment product, and the tension between traditional fan segregation and the increasing demand for tickets may challenge this long-standing convention.

Our take: The Greatest League in the World is drawing fans to stadiums in unheard of numbers. Away fans have always been a thing, it’s just that now their numbers are greater and their visibility and audibility are undercutting the English soccer norm of away fans being tucked safely in one stand high in a corner.

The fans upset by this trend had better learn to deal with it. It’s only going to get worse.

3) ❌ of the Day: Now We Know Why Erling Haaland Didn’t Win the Ballon D’Or

Haaland finished second. Four of his teammates finished fourth, fifth, seventh and ninth. Not seeing too many of Messi’s PSG or Inter Miami teammates on that list.

4) 🗳️ Have You Ever Seen Your Favorite EPL Team Play at an Opponent’s Stadium?

Have additional thoughts? Reply directly to this email to comment, and see if we include your response tomorrow.

5) 🔗 Link Roundup:

• 🎵 Manchester United legend Eric Cantona has traded his soccer boots for boogie shoes.

• 🔴 He might be the only one, but Erik ten Hag still thinks he can turn the current Manchester United lot around.

• 🇮🇱 Premier League clubs continue to chafe and struggle with what to do about player opinions regarding the Israel-Hamas war.

• 🧤 It’s a very crowded field early in this season’s Golden Gloves race, mostly because even the good teams are leaking goals here and there.

The newsletter today was written by Phil Keidel. Follow Phil @philkeidel on X.

Thanks for reading!