Sports
Referees to announce VAR decisions to fans in semi-finals

Referees will announce any video assistant referee decisions to football supporters inside stadiums in England for the first time during the Carabao Cup semi-finals.
As part of a trial, referees will announce final decisions following a visit to the VAR pitchside monitor or when rulings are made on factual matters such as accidental handball by a goalscorer or offside offences where the attacker touches the ball.
Such announcements are common in other sports such as rugby union and American football and the system was trialled during the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
The Premier League said in a meeting last summer that in-game VAR announcements would be put in place at some point this season.
Both legs in each of the cup semi-finals – Arsenal v Newcastle and Tottenham v Liverpool – will be included in the trial.
The first legs in the EFL-run competition will be played on 7 and 8 January 2025, with the return fixtures on 5 and 6 February.
Refereeing authority PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) says the move is part of its “commitment to transparency” and hopes it will provide greater clarity and understanding around key decisions.
Referees have been preparing for the in-stadium announcements at training camps and have practised at stadiums already. The officials for the matches will be announced on Tuesday.
The Premier League Match Centre account on X has posted “near-live” explanations of VAR decisions this season, but this will be the first time spoken announcements have been given to crowds, if there are any such calls to make.
The EFL said in a statement: “The new pilot embraces technological advancements for the benefit of match officials and fans.
“This latest pilot has the support of the EFL and follows earlier collaboration with PGMOL in 2018 to trial VAR in EFL competitions ahead of its introduction in the Premier League.”
Sports
Havertz online abuse has terrible consequences – Arteta

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says the online abuse of striker Kai Havertz and his wife has “terrible consequences” and needs to be “eradicated from the game”.
Havertz was criticised for his performance in Sunday’s FA Cup defeat by Manchester United, after he missed a glorious chance to win the game in normal time and then had his penalty saved in the shootout as United won 5-3 on penalties following the 1-1 draw.
The German’s wife Sophia shared screenshots of the “shocking” abuse she received on social media amid the game, including threats to the couple’s unborn child.
Arsenal have reported the abuse to the police and are working with a specialist data firm to identify the culprits, but Arteta says more must be done as he spoke before Wednesday’s north London derby against Tottenham.
“It’s incredible, honestly,” he said. “We really have to do something about it, because accepting that and hiding this has terrible consequences.
“It’s something we have to eradicate from the game because it’s so cynical and dependent to a result of an action.
“There is no other industry like this. When we played Ipswich on December 27, we won 1-0 and Kai Havertz scored. The whole stadium after that is singing the ‘Waka, Waka’ (his chant). That was 20 days ago. Where is the perspective?
“We are all responsible. That’s a really serious matter. It affects me. It affects him and everybody that is in the industry.
“We can accept it and say ‘that’s our job’, but there are certain limits and the line has to be drawn. We put a lot of attention on technology and what is next in football.
“What is next in football is that this should be prohibited. It cannot happen. That’s it.”
Meta, who own Instagram, removed the content for violating its policies.
Sports
I will not be the coach of a Red Bull team – Klopp

Jurgen Klopp says he has made a “clear commitment” that he will not become manager at one of the Red Bull clubs after starting his role as the organisation’s head of global soccer.
The former Liverpool manager was named in the role last year before officially starting at the beginning of 2025.
He has not had a managerial role since leaving Anfield last summer following a highly-successful nine year spell.
Klopp’s new role sees him take more of an oversight role across a number of clubs including RB Leipzig, Red Bull Salzburg and New York Red Bulls.
But when asked at a media conference on Tuesday whether he might be tempted back into day-to-day management if a role at one of the clubs becomes available, Klopp said emphatically said “no”.
“I will not be the coach of a Red Bull team,” he said. “That is a clear commitment. As much as you can give a guarantee, I will not be a coach at all.
“I am probably the only person in this room who will be asked where are you in five years, I don’t have a clue.
“But I will not be a replacement of one of the Red Bull coaches.
Sports
Rising star Fonseca knocks out ninth seed Rublev

Joao Fonseca had a Grand Slam debut to remember as he knocked out ninth seed Andrey Rublev in the first round of the Australian Open.
The 18-year-old Brazilian thrilled the crowd as he caused the biggest upset of the tournament so far with a 7-6 (7-1) 6-3 7-6 (7-5) victory against Rublev.
Fonseca was playing in his first main-draw match at a major, having come through three rounds of qualifying without dropping a set in Melbourne last week.
The victory extends his winning streak to 14 matches – but who is tennis’ latest rising star?
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