Referees set to train with Premier League clubs from next season

Who will be the first player to be sent off in a training match?

Referees could soon start training with Premier League clubs in a bid to improve the relationship between officials and players on the pitch.

Why has the idea been proposed?

As revealed by the Mail, the proposal was put forward by Manchester United interim boss, Ralf Rangnick, so that players and officials can experience more time around each other. Rangnick told general manager of the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), Mike Riley, that officials should be allowed to train with clubs so that they are able to get to know and understand players better, as opposed to only coming into contact on a match day. Several managers in the top flight have been left concerned by the performance of referees in recent months and the idea proposed by the German was expressed during a recent summit between Premier League managers and referees.

When could the plans come into place?

The interim boss' thoughts were echoed by the rest of those present at the meeting, and the changes could be brought in as early as next season. Full details are still yet to be confirmed, however it is reported that should the idea come to fruition, referees will be able to use training-ground facilities and also be allowed to officiate training matches to allow for negative preconceptions of top flight officials to be broken down.

Managers also raised several other issues

During the meeting, several other managers raised issues they wanted addressed - most notably VAR. Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp, Norwich's Dean Smith, Everton's Frank Lampard, Brighton's Graham Potter and Rangnick all stated the need for dedicated VAR officials to improve their reliability. Burnley's Sean Dyche meanwhile called for referees to tackle the issue of diving and for them to implement the law, with the Clarets boss supposedly pointing out that you 'can't tackle but you can dive.' Premier League clubs also asked for clarity on the controversial delayed offside flag rule, as well as a request to allow managers to speak to officials 30 minutes after the final whistle. Related links:

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