“We had a referee speak to the players…” Régis Le Bris reveals Sunderland VAR meeting ahead of Sheffield United play-off final
Sunderland face Sheffield United in the Championship play-off semi final at Wembley on Saturday
Sunderland received a visit from a top-level official last week to discuss the implementation of VAR at this weekend’s play-off final against Sheffield United.
VAR and semi-automated offsides will be in use at Wembley, only the second time Sunderland have played with the technology in use. On the previous occasion their 2-0 win over Wycombe Wanderers passed without any significant use, and many of the current squad have limited experience.
Sunderland head coach Régis Le Bris says the players were spoken to about what they needed to be aware of, with defending set pieces an obvious focus.
“We had a referee speak to the players at the end of last week,” Le Bris said.
“The main thing was the offsides, which is a bit different. Sometimes you can be offside and the referee makes a mistake, it can change the difference. Also the way you can defend set pieces in the box is slightly different.”
Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Tuesday, Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder confirmed that his players had held a similar meeting.
“We had Craig Pawson in the club on Monday to go through certain situations and scenarios as well, so I was thankful for that option that we had,” Wilder said.
We talked to him, because the game at that level and refereeing at Premier League level is a different one to Championship football. We have to play the game cleanly, we have to be disciplined in our approach but we also have to be competitive. So, channelling that competitive aspect, the emotional approach, is important because there has to be that fire in the belly and no doubt there will be.”
Championship play-off final VAR situation explained
The EFL has confirmed that this year’s Championship play-off final will feature a trio of key technological enhancements aimed at improving match officiating and transparency. For the first time in the fixture’s history, the game will include the use of Video Assistant Referee (VAR), semi-automated offside technology (SAOT), and in-stadium VAR announcements.
The inclusion of in-stadium announcements will mean that, following any VAR decision, referees will communicate the outcome directly to fans inside Wembley Stadium, adding an extra layer of clarity to what are often complex and controversial moments.
