Premier League golf equipment ‘to carry vote on SCRAPPING VAR’
- Teams will hold a vote at their annual general meeting in Harrogate next month
- Wolves have been on the wrong-end of a number of controversial VAR calls
- Manchester United should play at Wembley for two years, tear down Old Trafford and build a Tottenham-esque stadium – Listen to It’s All Kicking Off! podcast
Premier League clubs will reportedly hold a vote over whether to abolish VAR from the start of next season.
As reported by The Athletic, teams will hold a vote at at their annual general meeting next month on a proposal to scrap the video assistant referee system.
It comes after another season of contentious incidents, with the system facing criticism from fans, players and clubs since it was introduced in 2019.
The proposal was put forward by Wolves, who in a statement reportedly said: ‘The price we are paying for a small increase in accuracy is at odds with the spirit of our game.’
The vote will take place at the meeting in Harrogate on June 6, and would need a two-thirds majority (14-6) to pass.
Premier League clubs are to reportedly hold a meeting on scrapping VAR next season
The proposal is said to have been put forward by Wolves who have had a number of VAR decisions go against them during the 2023-24 season
The most notable of which came when VAR didn’t give a penalty to Wolves after Andre Onana clattered into Sasa Kalajdzic in stoppage time of their 1-0 loss to Manchester United in August
Liverpool’s Luis Diaz was controversially disallowed a goal against Tottenham following miscommunication between the on-field officials and the VAR official at Stockley Park
The statement by Wolves reads: ‘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.’
Also in their statement they listed nine ‘negative consequences’ of VAR that are damaging the relationship between fans and football.
The list includes the impact on goal celebrations, frustration inside stadiums over lengthy checks, VAR ‘overanalysing subjective decisions’, diminished accountability of on-field officials, and continuous errors despite the system being in place.
As per the Athletic, a Premier League spokesperson confirmed that a discussion on VAR will be held between clubs next month.
There have been a number of high-profile VAR errors this season, most notably when Liverpool’s Luis Diaz had a goal wrongly disallowed for offside against Tottenham in September.
That particular error came after that the VAR official Darren England wrongly believed that the on-field referee Simon Hooper had awarded the goal, leading him to say the check was complete.
Nottingham Forest questioned the appointment of Stuart Attwell – who they claimed to be a Luton Town fan – as the VAR official during their defeat to Everton last month
Forest had three penalty appeals turned down during their defeat to Everton at Goodison Park
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was left angered by the decision to allow Anthony Gordon’s winning goal to stand for Newcastle in November, and both the Gunners and Liverpool issued statements after the respective calls that went against their side.
Nottingham Forest recently have written letters of complaint to PGMOL, and faced heavy scrutiny for their questioning of Stuart Attwell – who they said was a Luton Town fan – following their defeat to Everton.
It came after they had three penalty appeals turned down in the defeat.
Wolves have had a number of VAR calls go against them this season.
They failed to give Wolves a penalty when Manchester United’s Andre Onana clattered into Sasa Kalajdzic in stoppage time of their 1-0 loss to the Red Devils last August.
VAR failed to overturn a penalty after Hwang Hee-Chain was adjuged to have brought down Newcastle’s Fabian Schar – despite replays showing the South Korean international made little to no contract with the defender.
Wolves were also unhappy that a penalty was awarded to Sheffield United in a 2-1 win for the Blades, when Fabio Silva was adjudged to have fouled George Baldock – despite the United man already going to ground.
