In a vote held this Thursday, 19 Premier League clubs voted against eliminating VAR, with only one voting in favor. Wolves had presented a motion in May to scrap the video assistant referee system in its current state after being on the receiving end of a series of poor decisions during the last Premier League season. Indeed, almost all Premier League teams were perplexed by the apparent misuse of the technology, with several glaring errors making headlines.
In a statement, the league declared, “Premier League clubs today voted in favor of continuing the use of VAR in the Premier League.”
“While VAR produces more accurate decisions, it was agreed that improvements should be introduced for the benefit of the game and the fans,” it read.
The most prominent example of VAR’s failure was undoubtedly Luis Diaz’s ghost goal against Tottenham in October, incorrectly disallowed for offside due to a communication breakdown among the referees, which led the club to demand a “full transparency review” by the Premier League.
However, it appears clubs are more interested in seeing drastic improvements and changes to the current system rather than eliminating it entirely. The league states that VAR improved correct decisions from 82% to 96% last season.
However, Malcolm Clarke, chairman of the Football Supporters’ Association, told BBC Sport that most fans agree with Wolves.
“Support for the introduction of VAR has waned, and 80% of fans now say the experience is poor or very poor, so we can’t carry on as we are,” he said.
“Most of our members think that the price of ruining the match experience isn’t worth paying for a small increase in correct decisions,” he added.
“It’s good that Wolves have brought this proposal forward, as it has been a catalyst for a real debate, and whatever happens, it’s essential that the debate continues,” he continued.
Six points for improvement:
- Maintain a high threshold for VAR intervention
- Reduce delays in the game, primarily through the introduction of semi-automated offside technology (SAOT)
- Improve fan experience by reducing delays, including referee announcements in the stadium after a VAR decision change (where possible, enhanced replay offerings on big screens to include all VAR interventions)
- Work with the PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) to implement more robust VAR training to improve consistency
- Increase transparency and communication around VAR
- Conduct a communication campaign with fans and stakeholders about VAR to better clarify the role of VAR