Livescore
An earthquake could soon be hitting English soccer, or more specifically, the Premier League.
As reported by Sky Sports and The Athletic, Premier League clubs will vote on a possibly scrapping VAR from the start of next season after Wolverhampton submitted a resolution. The plebiscite will be held at their annual general meeting next month.
The letter sent to the Premier League
“Wolves have formally submitted a resolution to the Premier League to trigger a vote at the league’s AGM in June, on the removal of VAR from the start of the 2024/25 season,” reads the letter.
“The introduction of VAR in 2019/20 was a decision made in good faith and with the best interests of football and the Premier League at its heart. However, it has led to numerous unintended negative consequences that are damaging the relationship between fans and football, and undermining the value of the Premier League brand, which include:
- Impact on goal celebrations and the spontaneous passion that makes football special.
- Frustration and confusion inside stadiums due to lengthy VAR checks and poor communication.
- A more hostile atmosphere with protests, booing of the Premier League anthem and chants against VAR.
- Overreach of VAR’s original purpose to correct clear and obvious mistakes, now overanalysing subjective decisions and compromising the game’s fluidity and integrity.
- Diminished accountability of on-field officials, due to safety net of VAR, leading to an erosion of authority on the pitch.
- Continued errors despite VAR, with supporters unable to accept human error after multiple views and replays, damaging confidence in officiating standards.
- Disruption of the Premier League’s fast pace with lengthy VAR checks and more added time, causing matches to run excessively long.
- Constant discourse about VAR decisions often overshadowing the match itself, and tarnishing the reputation of the league.
- Erosion of trust and reputation, with VAR fuelling completely nonsensical allegations of corruption.
“The decision to table the resolution has come after careful consideration and with the utmost respect for the Premier League, PGMOL and our fellow competitors.
“There is no blame to be placed – we are all just looking for the best possible outcome for football – and all stakeholders have been working hard to try and make the introduction of additional technology a success.
“However, after five seasons of VAR in the Premier League it is time for a constructive and critical debate on its future.
“Our position is 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.”
VAR under review in England
The introduction of VAR in England, implemented in 2019, has always generated a lot of controversy among fans and clubs. A decision that was carried out to improve decision making considering the money at stake in the world of soccer.
However, especially this past season, the use of VAR has suffered too many setbacks. Shortly into the season, Luis Diaz’s goal mistakenly disallowed for offside against Tottenham set off alarm bells.
The errors have not stopped happening throughout the season. The most recent occurred on April 21 when Nottingham Forest issued a statement accusing the VAR referee of being a Luton fan and favoring Everton with his decisions. “They made three lousy decisions,” the letter read.
This time, it is Wolverhampton who raised their voice with the clear intention of abolishing the use of VAR in England.
“The price we are paying for a small increase in accuracy is at odds with the spirit of our game. We must do away with it from the 2024-25 season,” say ‘Wolves’.
The Premier League recognizes Wolves’ right to make this complaint. However, they believe that abolishing VAR would make referees’ decisions much more erroneous. In fact, according to the Premier League’s own statistics, VAR has increased the accuracy rate of refereeing decisions from 82% to 96%.
“Clubs have the right to put forward proposals at shareholders’ meetings and we recognize the concerns and issues around the use of VAR. However, the league fully supports the use of VAR and remains committed, along with PGMOL, to making continuous improvements to the system for the benefit of the game and the fans,” said one of the spokespersons.
The proposal is tentatively scheduled to be voted on at the Premier League clubs’ assembly on June 6. Premier League clubs have the constitutional right to propose rule changes, and any proposal needs a two-thirds majority (14-6) to pass.
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