VAR: Penalty decisions

3 Aug 2019

All penalties awarded in the Premier League will automatically be checked by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), who will also check for possible penalties not given by the on-field referee.

For penalties awarded the VAR will check for any infringements by the attacking team in the attacking possession phase that led to the penalty as well as the incident for which the penalty was awarded.

For factual decisions such as offside or the ball being out of play in the build-up, the VAR will inform the referee, who will overturn any penalty awarded.

For subjective penalty decisions, such as for a foul or for a handball, the VAR will look to identify a “clear and obvious error”.

The referee will explain his decision to the VAR and what he has seen.

If the evidence provided to the VAR by the broadcast footage does not accord with what the referee believes he has seen, then the VAR can recommend an overturn.

The final decision will remain with the on-field referee.

If a penalty decision is overturned with no infringement by the attacking team, play will restart with an uncontested drop ball for the defending team.

See also

VAR: Goals
VAR: Direct red card incidents
VAR: Mistaken identity

Further VAR reading

VAR protocol
Premier League's VAR principles
Clear and obvious
Referee Review Area (RRA)
Attacking possession phase
Offsides
How offsides are determined by VAR
Penalty kicks
Unseen incidents
Final decision
VAR Hub
Communications
Frequently Asked Questions

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