Why VAR isn't working as usual for West Ham vs Brentford as Premier League step in to explain

VAR is not operating on a traditional basis during West Ham's Premier League clash with Brentford, which is being broadcast live on Sky Sports as part of the broadcaster's Monday Night Football show

Semi-automated offside technology was not in-play as West Ham kicked off against Brentford, the Premier League has confirmed.

VAR instead used virtual offside lines, as seen during previous seasons, as a result. The change came as a result of a global Amazon Web Services outage on Monday, which has affected more than 1,000 companies and millions of people worldwide.

An announcement was made by the Premier League Match Centre just four minutes ahead of kick-off at the London Stadium. A notice posted on X, read: "Due to the impact of today’s global AWS outage, this evening’s match will begin without the use of Semi-Automated Offside Technology (SAOT).

"If required, the VAR will use virtual offside lines, as in previous seasons, to determine an offside decision. If SAOT becomes available during the game, it will be implemented when appropriate."

Semi-automated offside technology has been used in the Premier League since mid-April and was also used in the FA Cup last season. It is said to place virtual offside lines more efficiently by utilising optical player tracking. SAOT also produces the virtual graphic that appear in-stadium and on broadcasts.

However, it does not affect the accuracy of decisions. SAOT is also responsible for the virtual graphic that appears in-stadium and on live broadcasts.

The fact that SAOT is not in play could prove costly, should an incident occur during the clash between West Ham and Brentford which may have been ruled differently if the technology was functioning.

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