Arsenal and City fans to be informed of VAR decisions on Wembley screens
Fans at Wembley for the Carabao Cup final between Manchester City and Arsenal this Sunday will be aware of the video assistant referee (VAR) reviewing any decisions via the stadium's giant electronic screens.
The incidents in question being reviewed by VAR will not be shown, but a simple message saying "VAR Review" will be displayed on the screens in order to allay the confusion that has greeted some uses of the technology's early trials in England.
It was first used in a competitive match in England in the third round FA Cup match between Brighton and Crystal Palace on January 8 and has since been criticised for the delays it has sometimes caused in play when referred to by referees.
Read more:VAR trials have not always been seamless
English Football League (EFL) chief Shaun Harvey has dubbed the cup final as "the biggest game for VAR in England so far" and said the screen graphics were being deployed to boost fan understanding of the technology.
"If there is a notice on the big screen explaining why there is a delay to the game, then we hope that will improve communication to the fans inside the stadium and on TV," he told The Times.
"If everybody in the stadium knows what is going on then that's part of the overall education of what VAR can achieve."
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who has never won the League Cup in his 21-years in North London, said VAR still needs to prove that is not a terminally disruptive presence in games.
"You want that technology proves better decision but that it is accommodating to the fact that people have less patience than before and that the game has to be speedy and the decisions have to be quick," said Wenger.
"Because we are in the early stages of VAR we want to slowly combine better decisions without restricting the speed of the game."
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