Fire alarm at Stockley Park causes VAR interruption during Manchester United game

On By Littum

A fire alarm at Stockley Park meant there was no VAR for around five minutes of Manchester United’s game at Ipswich in the Premier League.

Referee Anthony Taylor called captains Bruno Fernandes and Sam Morsy together to explain the situation towards the end of the first half, with the on-field referees in full control of the match during the break.

Stockley Park is where the Premier League’s operational hub is based – with video assistant referees remotely monitoring the decision-making process.

The break lasted around five minutes – with Ipswich equalizing through a stunning long-range Omari Hutchinson goal.

Fortunately for PGMOL, there was nothing controversial about Ipswich’s equalizer – sparing the referees’ body another embarrassing moment after a difficult season for referees.

A statement from the Premier League Match Center said in the first half: “The match will run without VAR for the time being due to a fire alarm in the VAR Hub at Stockley Park.”

The match center confirmed that VAR was back up and running shortly after.