Premier League clubs have decided that Video Assistant Referee (VAR) should continue to get used in the league, with clubs voting 19-1 to keep the video assistant on Thursday.
It would be recalled that Wolverhampton Wanderers lodged a motion for VAR to be scrapped at the end-of-season AGM.
Wolves stated that “the price we are paying for a small increase in accuracy is at odds with the spirit of our game, and as a result we should remove it from the 2024/25 season onwards.”
Fourteen clubs of the 20 top-flight clubs needed to back Wolves’ motion for it to pass and for VAR to be removed from English football with immediate effect.
However, nineteen voted against the motion. Despite sharing Wolves’ concern about the problems surrounding the implementation of VAR, many believe the technology provides a safety net against poor on-field decisions and steps should be taken to improve the processes.
Club agreed six action points for the improvement of VAR:
1. Maintaining a high threshold for VAR intervention to deliver greater consistency and less interruptions to the flow of the game.
2. Reducing delays to the game, primarily through the introduction of semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) and the maintained high threshold for VAR intervention.
3. Improving fan experience through a reduction in the delays, in-stadium announcements from referees after a post-VAR change of decision and where possible, an enhanced offering of big screen replays to include all VAR interventions.
4. Working with PGMOL on the implementation of more robust VAR training to improve consistency, including an emphasis on speed of process while preserving accuracy.
5. Increasing transparency and communication around VAR — including expanded communications from Premier League Match Centre and through broadcast programming
6. The delivery of a fan and stakeholder VAR communication campaign, which will seek to further clarify VAR’s role in the game to participants and supporters.
Clubs approved referees announcing the explanation for a VAR overturn to the crowd. This will largely only apply to a referee visiting the pitchside monitor to overturn a subjective decision, which happened 66 times last season.
