There is little chance that VAR will be removed from the Premier League, or its scope will be reduced.
In 2024, 19 of the 20 top-flight clubs voted to retain VAR, with only Wolves voting against it, having proposed their own voting.
For VAR to be abolished, 14 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 that the accuracy rate of referee decisions in Premier League matches since the introduction of VAR has been 96–97%, while time delays caused by VAR have declined by 25% over the past two seasons.
This year’s FA Cup tie between Aston Villa and Newcastle United, which did not have VAR, resulted in three significant refereeing errors, leading to it being described as the best advertisement for the technology ever.
The Premier League said: “VAR gives more accurate decisions.
“In recent seasons, there have been around 100 correct VAR reversals per season – instances where goals were otherwise wrongly awarded or disallowed, or red cards or penalties were missed or wrongly awarded.
“The league enforces a high threshold for VAR intervention, with priority given to the referee’s call. As a result, VAR intervenes less in the Premier League than in other European leagues, including the Champions League, where VAR intervenes almost twice as much.”
But the FSA believes the results of its survey should be heard and acted upon.
“Supporters naturally raise their concerns and they are largely ignored,” Concannon says.
“It’s really disappointing, especially when we hear that the fans are the lifeblood of the game.
“Don’t ignore what the vast majority of supporters are telling you – that football is no more fun than it used to be.”
