75% of fans oppose VAR in Premier League, says FSA

Three-quarters of fans of Premier League clubs are against the use of the video assistant referee, according to a survey by the Football Supporters’ Association.

Just under 8,000 fans responded to the survey, which asked supporters of the 20 sides in this season’s top flight for their views on VAR.

Of those asked, 90% disagreed that the introduction of the technology in the Premier League has improved the matchday experience, and 91% believe VAR has harmed the spontaneity of goal celebrations.

A total of 94% disagreed that VAR makes watching football on television more enjoyable.

“The results show that most fans want VAR removed,” Thomas Concannon, the FSA’s Premier League network manager, told BBC Sport.

“We’ve all lived with VAR for so long now that we’ve seen the negative impact it’s had on the game.

“People are annoyed about the time that it takes, annoyed about the accuracy, and annoyed about the [reduced] spontaneity.

“It does take away from what football is meant to be and what those special moments are about.”

In a statement responding to the results, the Premier League said: “We recognise the importance of minimising the impact of VAR on the supporter experience.

“As part of ongoing dialogue with supporters, Premier League research indicates fans are largely in favour of keeping VAR, but improving the way it is used.”

How deep does dislike of VAR go?

The fans surveyed by the FSA span all 20 Premier League clubs and the majority are regular matchgoers, with more than half saying they attend at least 15 games a season.

Other key data from the survey includes:

72% of fans disagree that VAR has made refereeing more accurate
74% of fans believe the reasoning behind decisions made using VAR is not clear
86% of fans are worried about the expansion of VAR’s remit
72% of fans are against using VAR to check if corners have been correctly awarded, and 52% of fans are against using VAR to check if second yellow cards have been fairly awarded, both of which will be implemented at this summer’s World Cup

Last week data showed that referee and VAR errors are on the increase in the Premier League.

“We discuss refereeing in more detail than we ever have before, even though we have something that’s supposed to make it even more accurate,” Concannon says.

“You can understand that the clubs and league want to try and make sure that the decisions are correct, because there’s so much money involved, but it becomes a little bit hard to take for a supporter when they see a goal disallowed because there is a hair offside.

“If it’s not going to speed up and it’s not going to take away the controversy of what we still debate nowadays, that’s why the supporters are voting in the way that they have.”

Fewer than half of respondents believe that the introduction of referees announcing their decisions over the in-stadium speaker system is an improvement, and most do not believe the announcements make the decision-making process any clearer.

In contrast with VAR, 93% of fans support the use of goalline technology in the Premier League.

How likely is scrapping VAR?

There is little prospect of VAR being removed from the Premier League, or having its remit reduced.

In 2024, 19 out of 20 top-flight clubs voted to keep VAR, with only Wolves voting against, having proposed the poll themselves.

In order for VAR to be scrapped, 14 out of the 20 Premier League clubs would have to vote against it following a new proposal for abolition by a club.

The independent key match incident (KMI) review panel estimates there has been an accuracy rate of 96-97% for refereeing decisions made in Premier League matches since the introduction of VAR, while time delays caused by VAR have dropped by 25% in the past two seasons.

This year an FA Cup tie between Aston Villa and Newcastle United, which did not have VAR, featured three significant refereeing errors, leading it to being labelled the best advert yet for the technology.

The Premier League said: “VAR delivers more correct decisions.

“In recent seasons, there have been around 100 correct VAR overturns per season – instances where goals would otherwise have been incorrectly awarded or disallowed, or red cards or penalties missed or wrongly given.

“The league applies a high threshold for VAR intervention, with the referee’s call taking precedence. As a result, VAR is less intrusive in the Premier League than in other European leagues, including the Champions League, where VAR intervenes almost twice as often.”

But the FSA believes the results of its survey should be listened to and acted upon.

“Supporters naturally raise their concerns and they fall on deaf ears far too much,” Concannon says.

“That’s really disappointing, especially when all we hear is that the fans are the lifeblood of the game.

“Don’t just ignore what supporters are telling you in great numbers – that the enjoyment of football isn’t there any more in comparison to what it used to be.”

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