Is the tide turning against VAR?

News

Martin Macdonald | Author

Championship clubs have rejected a proposal to introduce a new version of VAR next season.

At the moment, the second tier in England has goal line technology but no Video Assistant Referee system.

At the English Football League annual summit last week, the Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO) gave a presentation detailing a new system, Football Video Support (FVS), a cheaper version of VAR to run.

FIFA describes FVS as the "accessible and cost-effective video replay system for key refereeing calls. FVS does not use dedicated video match officials and therefore does not automatically check all match-changing incidents. Instead, the onus falls on the two head coaches, who are allowed to make a limited number of review requests per match when they feel there has been a clear and obvious error in match-changing incidents such as goal/no goal, penalty/no penalty, direct red cards or mistaken identity. In addition, the fourth official checks every goal for any offence by the attacking team in the build-up to the goal."

Championship clubs sent out a survey to their supporters and, based on the response, they have rejected the chance to include FVS from next season on.

Not only do the clubs not want FVS, but the majority are opposed to any version of VAR as they believe supporters don't like it and want the Championship to be an alternative to the Premier League.

The FA's chief executive, Mark Bullingham, said that the institution was keen to explore the possibility of adding a 'challenge' element to VAR.

“Are there elements of that that we should consider adopting for the future? Because that changes the dynamic, that reduces the amount of times when there is a VAR intervention and effectively puts the onus on the coach," he said last month.

“I think that’s just something which we might continue to learn as we trial that model in the parts of the game that fundamentally can’t afford full VAR at the moment — but that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily the wrong model for the future.”

FVS is currently being used in the Canadian Premier League and was rolled out alongside the controversial new 'daylight offside' rule.

75% of fans don't want VAR

According to a survey by the Football Supporters Association, 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.

“These findings back up the FSA’s previous survey in 2021, where fans expressed misgivings about the introduction of VAR," The FSA’s Premier League network manager Thomas Concannon said.

“The vast majority are reporting the same concerns five years on – the loss of spontaneity when celebrating goals, and an overall worsening of the matchgoing experience.

“We have shared the survey results with the Premier League and PGMO, and look forward to discussing its findings with them.”

Not only have Championship clubs rejected the proposal for next season, but it is apparently off the table for the foreseeable future.

Premier League responds

The Premier League sought to defend the use of VAR after the survey results were made public.

A spokesperson said: “The Premier League recognises the importance of minimising the impact of VAR on the supporter experience. Since the introduction of the VAR Improvement Plan at the start of the 2024/25 season, the League and PGMO have implemented in‑stadium referee announcements and more proactive communications, while there has also been the introduction of semi‑automated offside technology – all designed to improve clarity, speed, and communication around key decisions.

“VAR delivers more correct decisions. In recent seasons, there have been around 100 correct VAR overturns per season – instances where goals would otherwise have been incorrectly awarded or disallowed, or red cards or penalties missed or wrongly given.

“The Premier League works closely with PGMO to continually improve the operation of VAR, with the aim of ensuring minimal interference in matches wherever possible. The League applies a high threshold for VAR intervention, with the Referee’s Call taking precedence. As a result, VAR is less intrusive in the Premier League than in other European leagues, including the Champions League, where VAR intervenes almost twice as often.

“As part of ongoing dialogue with supporters, Premier League research* indicates fans are largely in favour of keeping VAR, but improving the way it is used. This remains a priority for both the Premier League and PGMO, and the League will continue to engage with all stakeholders to build on the progress made through the VAR Improvement Plan.”

According to data from Professional Game Match Officials, the average time delay due to a VAR intervention for this season is 48 seconds.

The FSA said on their official website that the survey was not intended to catalyse criticism of referees or the Premier League, but simply to gauge how supporters felt about the current use of VAR technology.

However, it is clear from the Championship clubs rejecting FVS, and that survey from the supporters' association, that officials are having to contend with an overwhelmingly negative feeling around VAR at the moment.

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