VAR came into the spotlight in the Premier League in 2019, it was heavily praised as the quality of the officiating in the division was questionable, as many teams were robbed by terrible refereeing decisions.
Teething issues were expected when VAR was launched but it offered some respite but what we didn’t anticipate was the fact that the inconsistencies would take center stage, season in, season out.
I don’t want to go into every scenario of refereeing inconsistency because they are too much to mention, but you can understand where the frustrations began to set in.
In a strange turn of events, Wolverhampton Wanderers have pushed for VAR to be scrapped from the start of next season,
“After careful consideration and with the utmost respect for the Premier League, (referees body) 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.”
For this motion to go ahead, 14 of the 20 Premier League clubs will have to back the proposal from Wolves. However, is Scrappins VAR the right call? You can see the underlying frustration from the statement Wolves made and can’t help but feel for them, but this is something that cuts across board. In as much as I feel VAR has been very frustrating, it has also been very helpful.
It’s just strange because we have seen it executed superbly in the Champions League, the FIFA World Cup and I’m sure the AI-inspired technology will be deployed in the European Championships.
Improvements can be made, such as the fabled semi-automated offsides coming to the Premier League next season, and we have to accept that mistakes happen from time to time. One major enhancement would be to accelerate the decision making, because most VAR calls, especially in the Premier League, seem to take forever to be implemented.
The decision will take place sometime in June, and it will be interesting to see the teams that will take the same stance with Wolves.
Sayonara.
