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Premier League supporters will, for the first time, be able to hear conversations between referees and players during live matches, as the competition takes another step towards making officiating decisions more transparent.

According to The Times, the new addition will expand on the Ref Cam system that was introduced last season, under which referees wear a small camera attached near the ear.

So far, broadcasters have been permitted to show selected footage from the technology, but the related conversations have only been made available after matches.

That will change this season, with audio clips from selected exchanges between referees and players set to be played during live broadcasts.

The audio will be used in one or two matches per round in which Ref Cam is in operation, although the feature will not be introduced until after the opening weeks of the season.

Instead of airing conversations in real time, selected audio will be played shortly after major incidents.

There will, however, be one significant limitation. Under the current rules of the International Football Association Board (IFAB), conversations connected to incidents reviewed by VAR cannot be broadcast.

The Premier League says the step will help supporters better understand how referees arrive at their decisions.

The audio chosen for broadcast will be agreed jointly by broadcasters, the Premier League and Pro Ref, the body responsible for refereeing in English professional football.

The league also intends to continue pressing IFAB to permit VAR-related referee conversations to be broadcast during matches.

However, IFAB secretary and chief executive Lukas Brud has warned that bringing in such audio could create a chaotic viewing experience and could potentially place referees in an unsafe position.

Transparency around refereeing will also be increased in other areas this season.

The Premier League will start publishing weekly decisions from its Key Match Incident (KMI) panel, which reviews major refereeing calls.

The panel was set up in 2022 and includes three former players or coaches, along with representatives from the Premier League and Pro Ref. Its findings were previously kept private.

The league will also publish direct quotes from match officials on X instead of relying on summaries of their explanations.