Leading VAR expert appointed for Watford v West Ham

Referee Chris Kavanagh has been appointed to take charge of Watford against West Ham this weekend for the second season running. The Lancashire official was in charge of the same fixture last season when the Hammers came out  4-1  victors after Kavanagh sent off Jose Holebas.

The full-back was dismissed after the referee ruled he had pulled back Michail Antonio when the Hammers forward was through on goal early in the second half. Watford later successfully appealed the red card and Holebas did play in the FA Cup final against Manchester City at Wembley.

The Video Assistant Referee is scheduled to be top Australian official Jarred Gillett.

The FIFA referee has come to England to study at university in Liverpool and it was announced in January that he would join the Select Group 2 list at the start of this season.

These officials mainly cover Championship games but they can also work at Premier League matches to help their development.

Crucially, the 32-year-old is also regarded as a leading VAR expert, having used the technology since it was introduced in the Australian A-League in 2017.