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Referees are being told NOT to consult pitch-side monitors, which is causing major worries about the introduction of VAR.

Mirror Sport has been told Premier League officials are unhappy about the guidance, because of fears it will cause further delays in coming to big decisions during games.

Pitch-side monitors were used during the World Cup last summer but the PGMOL - Professional Game Match Officials Limited - is against it, as referees must learn to trust the Video Assistant Referee rather than look for extra reassurance.

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It comes as PGMOL insiders have fully backed referee Michael Oliver and VAR official Graham Kavanagh over the Harry Kane penalty decision in Tuesday's Carabao Cup semi-final first leg at Wembley.

(Image: Sky Sports)

They insist the picture Chelsea offered post-match as proof the Tottenham striker was offside in the lead-up to the penalty incident that produced the only goal of the night was misleading as the ball is blurred in it, and therefore had already been played.

PGMOL uses VAR officials at the Premier League’s in-house broadcasting facility at Stockley Park alongside Hawkeye technology which also showed Kane was onside.

Prem bosses could use the Hawkeye pictures in stadiums next season to avoid another Kane confusion episode.

(Image: Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty) (Image: AFP/Getty) (Image: Getty)

They are also putting referees through intensive training - including extra sessions this week - to make sure the VAR technology is ready for next season as the Premier League has already voted to bring it in.

Former top referee Keith Hackett insists that VAR is a must for next season but has voiced his own concerns and recommendations to help it run better.

Hackett told Mirror Sport: “We are not running it often enough and it will get better when it is being used week-in and week-out, which will help everyone improve. Practice will help so much.

(Image: AFP)

“But just as with the best referees are a team - Howard Webb was with Mike Mullarkey and Darren Cann - and they build up an understanding. It’s wrong for referees to be asked to be a ref one week and then VAR the next.

“Michael Oliver is an excellent referee, came to the correct decision at Wembley and is strong and can cope. So use him as a referee every week and build a team around him. It’s a bit like Spurs and Harry Kane, it’s no surprise they pick their best player every week.

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“You have also got the issue that the average fan pays £48 or whatever the ticket is and yet they don’t get as much information as the fan watching TV at home. Why not go the whole hog and put all of the information on big screens so the fans can see?”

Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso said: “[The VAR] created a lot of confusion.

“I don’t know what they have to do, but they have to explain it properly to the linesmen, the referees, and to us, because if the guy stopped I don’t why then the ball keep running and then it was a penalty.”