VAR’s Fate to Be Voted On

The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system might not be part of the upcoming English Premier League (EPL) season should the involved clubs agree on scrapping it.

On Wednesday, 15 May, Wolverhampton Wanderers formally submitted a resolution to abolish VAR before the start of the 2024/25 EPL season, with a vote to take place early next month. For the motion to pass, at least 14 of the 20 clubs who play in the competition must approve the decision.

Introduced in 2019, the technology was brought in to assist referees with reviewing decisions via video footage and providing advice.

However, the current season has been fraught with several VAR missteps that have caused howls of derision across the board. One major misunderstanding saw a Liverpool goal ruled out during their 2-1 loss to Tottenham Hotspurs last year; the incident was later acknowledged as a “significant human error.”

Wolves’ statement on the proposal emphasises the “numerous unintended consequences” that have impacted the game, while the Premier League has commented that VAR remains a useful tool for referees’ decision-making.

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