The Premier League has asserted that eliminating video assistant referees (VAR) would lead to approximately 100 additional incorrect refereeing decisions per season. This claim was detailed in a briefing document sent to all 20 clubs ahead of the annual general meeting on Thursday, 6 June, outlining the reasons for retaining VAR.
Wolves formally submitted a resolution in May to trigger a vote on the continued use of VAR. However, Premier League clubs are expected to reject this proposal, while new in-game VAR announcements are anticipated to be introduced.
The Premier League’s ‘VAR Improvement Plan,’ authored by chief football officer Tony Scholes, was distributed to clubs on Wednesday. The document, reviewed by BBC Sport, includes a section on the potential impact of removing VAR.
The document notes that some “match-defining” incorrect decisions made by on-field referees would not be overturned without VAR. It recognizes that scrapping VAR would reduce game interruptions and delays, but it would also lead to “significantly more officiating errors (around 100 per season), including highly contentious match-deciding incidents, potentially in critically important matches.”
The Premier League also highlighted that there were only five incorrect VAR interventions last season, compared to 105 correct calls. This marks an improvement from the 2022-23 season, which had 11 wrong VAR decisions and 105 correct ones.
Additional reasons for maintaining VAR include contractual obligations to significant operating costs for the next three years. The document warns that the Premier League would be the only major European league to remove VAR, which could “potentially damage” its reputation. Moreover, English referees might miss out on major assignments for Uefa or Fifa tournaments since regular experience with VAR is critical.
The briefing acknowledges existing issues with VAR, such as the time taken for decisions. The average delay for a single VAR check was 64 seconds in the 2023-24 season, up from 40 seconds in 2022-23.
One forthcoming change is the implementation of in-game VAR announcements by referees, a practice introduced by Fifa at several competitions last year, including the 2023 Women’s World Cup. This change is likely to be well-received by most Premier League clubs. Manchester City, Arsenal, and Tottenham are among the clubs favoring VAR’s retention but are calling for improvements. Liverpool also opposes scrapping VAR.
Wolves, however, remain firmly in favor of eliminating VAR and issued their own briefing paper on Wednesday. The club cites the negative impact on match-going fans and their experience, claiming that the benefits of VAR are negligible.
“Wolves argue that the use of VAR has led to increased disengagement among the Premier League’s match-attending fans due to its adverse effects on the match experience, resulting in apathy, hostility and erosion of trust in football’s authorities and officials,” the club stated.
They added, “Premier League data shows an increase in correct decisions from 82% pre-VAR to 96% with VAR, highlighting its effectiveness in reducing errors. If we put aside the argument on whether the data is credible and convincing, while overall accuracy might be increased to a debatable degree, the cost in terms of match enjoyment and fan engagement outweighs these benefits. The integrity of the game is compromised by lengthy interruptions and inconsistent application of VAR protocols.”
