The Premier League will vote this summer on whether or not the league will continue to use VAR technology, as revealed exclusively by David Ornstein of The Athletic.
The annual general meeting will take place next month and VAR will be on the agenda when representatives of the 20 clubs in the league hold that meeting.
In a move spearheaded by Wolves, the motion will seek to abolish the use of video assistant referees from next season.
VAR was first seen in use in Russia’s 2018 World Cup before being introduced to the English game through the Premier League for the 2019/20 season. However, there have been questions as to whether or not the game is benefiting from its use in the Premier League.
Wolves spearheading movement.
As mentioned above, the motion has been proposed by Wolverhampton Wanderers, who have since explained their reasons for the proposal.
On the list of reasoning from the club are factors often suggested by fans, explaining that it takes away from the spontaneity of events during the game, such as goal celebrations. It is hard to argue with such a reason when looking at instances from the Aston Villa and Liverpool fixture on Monday evening, which saw multiple goals ruled out after lengthy VAR checks.
Another reason suggested was the accusations of corruption which have begun to stem from VAR decisions; some of which have been questionable at times. The most notable of such events were in the Nottingham Forest and Everton fixture, which saw Forest denied three penalties throughout the game. The events of that fixture led to a complaint from Forest, who also declared their intention to sue the PGMOL following their letters of complaint.
Who has suffered the most from VAR this season?
It would be no surprise to discover that Wolves have suffered the most from VAR decisions this season following their suggestion. According to ESPN’s VAR tracker, the club have a score of -6 with VAR decisions, only having seen one decision go in their favour this campaign. That decision only came last weekend when Matheus Cunha saw his goal stand after it was deemed that the original offside call was incorrect. The club have seen eight decisions overturned in their fixtures this season, with two penalties awarded against them and four goals after VAR checks.
Despite their controversial protests last month, Nottingham Forest has benefited greatly from the technology this season, with a score of four, putting them above Manchester City and Arsenal. Forest have seen four decisions go in their favour, including two disallowed goals against them and a penalty going their way. However, they have also seen lengthy checks lead to red cards twice.
What comes next?
The motion will be voted on at the AGM next month and will require the clubs to vote on the future of VAR in the Premier League. For any motion to be passed, it would need the approval of 14 of the 20 clubs in the league to come to a decision.
With VAR intended to improve the game, it is hard to see where it has done so as we see increases in added time and stoppages throughout. The Premier League have said they plan to oppose any movement to abolish its use and discussed plans to speed up the checking process. They have also pointed to an increase in correct decisions, from 82% to 96%, from their calculations.
A lack of transparency is often criticised with the technology, with fans being left clueless as to what is happening throughout these checks. Players on the pitch are also left feeling this emotion often. Measures have been taken for next month’s European Championships, where referees will explain the decisions to captains on the pitch after VAR checks.