One league has had enough of VAR - and it could soon be scrapped

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FT Desk

Earlier this year, the Football Supporters Association published a survey that concluded that the majority of football fans want VAR scrapped.

According to a survey, 75.5% of fans answered "No" when asked, "When taking all things into consideration, do you support the use of VAR in football?"

Eighty-six per cent expressed concerns about VAR's powers being increased further.

The FSA found that:

- More than nine in ten fans (91.7%) said VAR had removed the spontaneous joy of goal celebrations.

- Only 3.3% of fans stated that the matchgoing experience is better with VAR.

- The majority (58%) of fans wanted to retain the in-stadium announcements from referees.

- A hypothetical challenge system, whereby VAR interventions would be limited per game, had the support of almost half (47.2%) of supporters.

- Only one in five fans (20.8%) said they backed the expansion of VAR to check if corners had been correctly awarded.

It seems one league has had enough of VAR, with clubs in Norway's Eliteserien reportedly campaigning to scrap the technology completely, reports the Mail.

Sweden’s Allsvenskan league outright rejected the introduction of VAR two years ago, but Norway could become the first country to get rid of the technology after it was already implemented.

"Lillestrom Sports Club has a clear annual meeting resolution that the club will actively work to phase out VAR, and the board and the club of course support this," Lillestrom chairman Raymond Gabrielsen to TV2.

"This means, among other things, that we have a dialogue with other top clubs and are working on concrete initiatives that could lead to a liquidation.

"We are against the very idea behind VAR. However, we believe that the quality of the current solution neither corresponds to what was communicated at the time of its introduction, nor to the expectations that have been created that the system would improve over time.

"We therefore believe that the matter should be ripe for a new assessment, where the clubs that use the system should be heard."

There have been numerous fan protests in Norway about VAR but last season clubs voted in a majority to keep it for the time being.

In order to get it removed completely, the majority of clubs must be in agreement.