Howard Webb to oversee PRO's Video Assistant Referee operations
Former referee Howard Webb will oversee operations of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) project for the Professional Referee Organization (PRO), the organization announced Tuesday.
PRO is the organization used by Major League Soccer to officiate its matches.
MLS is looking to implement the VAR project midway through the 2017 season, after the MLS All-Star Game, and is currently testing the use of video assistance in preseason, with 15 teams participating in training tilts featuring the new initiative.
Webb, whose body of work includes refereeing assignments in the Premier League, Champions League, and FIFA World Cup, is the director of referees for the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, while also doing work as a broadcaster for BT Sports' Champions League coverage.
He will join the PRO in March, with the organization's general manager, Peter Walton, saying Webb "will be a great asset" in "spearheading the VAR project."
"(Webb's) high-level officiating experience and work as a broadcaster will bring tremendous value as he guides our referees through various VAR testing and assessment exercises ahead of forthcoming VAR implementation," Walton said in a statement, according to Sports Illustrated.
Webb will reportedly oversee the development and education, assessment, and assignment of VAR for PRO.