Premier League referees could soon be training with clubs on a daily basis in a change that could significantly impact the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and West Ham.
Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick is said to be the mastermind behind the idea, raising it at a conference between club managers and Mike Riley, claiming it could improve the relationship between clubs and officials and allow players to get to know them better as well. It is a plan currently being considered by the PGMOL, according to Mail Online.
Other topics high on the agenda included the appointment of dedicated, specially trained VAR officials as well as the use of late flags from linesmen. Burnley manager Sean Dyche also raised concerns that not enough is being done to stamp out diving in the modern game.
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But it is the way that referees train ahead of matchday that would likely have the largest impact on clubs going forward. While the finer details of the plans have not yet been released, the report suggests that it could involve officials taking charge of training matches.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is one of many to have expressed their displeasure with refereeing performances this season. After Gabriel Martinelli was controversially sent off for two bookable offences in the same passage of play against Wolves - the 15th red card of the Spaniard's reign - he suggested that he would meet for private discussions about some of the decisions they have faced this season.
“You ask me if I am happy with the decisions that we have had this season - I am not at all,” Arteta said after the incident. “But that is a conversation that I will have with the officials privately. We need explanations. We need explanations for things that happened with VAR and I need an explanation for what happened today. [Those conversations] are going to happen soon.”
