The Football Faithful
·16 December 2024
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Yahoo sportsThe Football Faithful
·16 December 2024
Video Assistant Referees (VAR) will only be used in the 2024/25 Emirates FA Cup from the fifth round onwards.
The FA have confirmed the decision not to introduce VAR for the earlier rounds of the competition as they seek ‘a consistent refereeing approach’ throughout the tournament.
Previously, VAR has only been used in the FA Cup during matches at Wembley Stadium and Premier League grounds due to infrastructure, workforce and costs that are required for its operation.
To ensure the earlier rounds of the cup have consistent officiating, VAR will not be introduced until the fifth round in 2024/25. The third round draw includes several all-Premier League ties that will now not have VAR in operation, including Arsenal vs Manchester United and Aston Villa vs West Ham.
VAR will be utilised for every match from the fifth round onwards, including the final at Wembley Stadium.
1 Southampton v Swansea City 2 Arsenal v Manchester United 3 Exeter City v Oxford United 4 Leyton Orient v Derby County 5 Reading v Burnley 6 Aston Villa v West Ham United 7 Norwich City v Brighton & Hove Albion 8 Manchester City v Salford City 9 Millwall v Dagenham & Redbridge 10 Liverpool v Accrington Stanley 11 Bristol City v Wolverhampton Wanderers 12 Preston North End v Charlton Athletic 13 Chelsea v Morecambe 14 Middlesbrough v Blackburn Rovers 15 AFC Bournemouth v West Bromwich Albion 16 Mansfield Town v Wigan Athletic 17 Tamworth v Tottenham Hotspur 18 Hull City v Doncaster Rovers 19 Sunderland v Stoke City 20 Leicester City v Queens Park Rangers 21 Brentford v Plymouth Argyle 22 Coventry City v Sheffield Wednesday 23 Newcastle United v Bromley 24 Everton v Peterborough United 25 Wycombe Wanderers v Portsmouth 26 Birmingham City v Lincoln City 27 Leeds United v Harrogate Town 28 Nottingham Forest v Luton Town 29 Sheffield United v Cardiff City 30 Ipswich Town v Bristol Rovers 31 Fulham v Watford 32 Crystal Palace v Stockport County