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So far so good with VAR: chief referee

London - It earned the stamp of approval from Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger

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English football's referees chief Mike Riley professed himself to be satisfied with the way the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology has performed in the two games it has been used in so far.
The VAR was deployed firstly at Monday's FA Cup third round clash between Brighton and Crystal Palace and then on Wednesday in the League Cup semifinal first leg match between Chelsea and Arsenal.
It earned the stamp of approval from Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, whose latest battle with officials has landed him a three match touchline ban.
On Wednesday, referee Martin Atkinson consulted with video ref Neil Swarbrick, who sat in the Premier League's control room in west London, on two penalty appeals - one for each team - but no decisions were overturned.
Riley, who is general manager of the Professional Game Match Officials Board (PGMOB), said things had gone very smoothly so far.
"It has gone very well in the first few games," Riley told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"We've had the opportunity to use it, it has been used very effectively and we've come out with the right outcomes.
"The whole idea of the protocol is to have minimum interference on the game but get the right decisions to have the maximum impact."
Riley, a former top level referee who has been in his present role since June 2009, conceded that one of the decisions taken in Wednesday's game took far longer than had been the case in training. no penalty was given.