Daily Junction.mobi portal

VAR in Football 2026: How the Technology Works, Why It's Controversial, and Whether It's Here to Stay

Sports · July 8, 2026 · Tom Bennett · 10 min

[View image]

Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology has transformed football since 2018, but it remains deeply controversial. Here's how VAR works, why fans and players hate it, and whether the system can be fixed.

Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology was introduced to football in 2018 with a simple promise: eliminate clear and obvious errors that change the outcome of matches. But six years later, VAR remains one of the most controversial and divisive innovations in football history. Fans complain it kills spontaneous goal celebrations, players and managers argue it is inconsistently applied, and broadcasters struggle to explain decisions that take 60-90 seconds to review. Yet football authorities insist VAR is here to stay, citing improved decision accuracy and the need to prevent match-fixing scandals. Here is everything you need to know about VAR in 2026 — how the technology works, why it is so controversial, and whether the system can be fixed.

What Is VAR?

VAR (Video Assistant Referee) is a system where a team of off-field officials reviews key decisions made by the on-field referee using video footage. The VAR team can:

1. Alert the referee to a clear and obvious error (e.g., a penalty that should have been given)
2. Recommend the referee review the decision on a pitchside monitor (called an On-Field Review or OFR)
3. Confirm the referee's decision was correct (no intervention)

VAR is used in four situations only:

1. Goals — checking for offside, fouls, or handball in the build-up
2. Penalty decisions — checking if a foul occurred inside the box
3. Red card incidents — checking if a player committed a red-card offence
4. Mistaken identity — ensuring the correct player is cautioned or sent off

VAR cannot be used for:

• Yellow card decisions (unless it should have been a red card)
• Fouls outside the penalty area (unless they lead to a goal or red card)
• Throw-ins, corners, or goal kicks (unless they directly lead to a goal)

How VAR Works: The Technology

1. The VAR hub

In the Premier League, VAR is operated from a central hub at Stockley Park in west London. Each match has a dedicated VAR team consisting of:

• 1 Video Assistant Referee (VAR) — the lead official who makes the final decision
• 1 Assistant VAR (AVAR) — supports the VAR by reviewing footage
• 2 Replay Operators — control the camera feeds and angles

The VAR team watches the match on multiple screens showing different camera angles (typically 12-16 angles per match, including broadcast cameras and dedicated VAR cameras).

2. Communication with the on-field referee

The VAR team is in constant audio contact with the on-field referee via headsets. When a potential error is spotted, the VAR says:

• "Checking [incident]" — the VAR is reviewing the footage
• "Check complete" — the VAR confirms the on-field decision was correct
• "Possible [offence]" — the VAR recommends an On-Field Review (OFR)

If the VAR recommends an OFR, the referee goes to a pitchside monitor to review the footage and make the final decision. The referee can:

• Overturn the original decision (e.g., award a penalty)
• Confirm the original decision (e.g., no penalty)

3. Semi-automated offside technology (SAOT)

In 2024-25, the Premier League introduced semi-automated offside technology (SAOT), which uses:

• 12 tracking cameras installed under the stadium roof
• AI-powered limb tracking that detects 29 data points on each player's body (head, shoulders, arms, legs)
• A sensor in the ball that detects the exact moment the ball is kicked

When a player is in an offside position, the system generates a 3D animation showing the player's position relative to the last defender. This is sent to the VAR team within 25 seconds (compared to 70 seconds for manual offside checks).

SAOT was first used at the 2022 World Cup and has been adopted by Serie A, La Liga, and the Champions League. It is considered the most successful VAR innovation, as it removes human error from offside decisions.

4. Hawk-Eye goal-line technology

VAR works alongside Hawk-Eye goal-line technology, which uses 7 cameras per goal to detect if the ball has crossed the goal line. If the ball crosses the line, the referee's watch vibrates within 1 second.

Goal-line technology is not part of VAR — it is a separate system that has been in use since 2013 and is universally accepted by fans and players.

VAR in the Premier League: The Numbers

The Premier League has published detailed statistics on VAR usage since its introduction in 2019-20. Here are the key numbers for 2023-24:

Interventions

• 118 VAR interventions (overturning on-field decisions)
• 72 decisions overturned after On-Field Review (OFR)
• 46 decisions overturned without OFR (e.g., offside goals disallowed)

Breakdown by incident type

• Goals disallowed — 42 (mostly for offside)
• Penalties awarded — 28
• Penalties overturned — 12
• Red cards awarded — 18
• Red cards overturned — 6
• Mistaken identity — 12

Average review time

• Offside decisions — 70 seconds (before SAOT), 25 seconds (after SAOT in 2024-25)
• Penalty decisions — 90 seconds
• Red card decisions — 60 seconds

Accuracy

The Premier League claims VAR increased decision accuracy from 82% (pre-VAR) to 96% in 2023-24. However, this includes many trivial corrections (e.g., offside by 2cm) that fans consider irrelevant.

The Controversies

VAR has been controversial since its introduction. The main criticisms are:

1. Inconsistent application of the 'clear and obvious' threshold

VAR is supposed to intervene only for clear and obvious errors, but this threshold is subjective and inconsistently applied.

For example:

• In September 2023, Liverpool vs Tottenham, VAR failed to overturn an incorrect offside decision against Luis Díaz, costing Liverpool a goal. The VAR official later admitted it was a "significant human error."
• In November 2023, Newcastle vs Arsenal, VAR awarded Newcastle a goal despite the ball appearing to go out of play in the build-up. The decision was not reviewed because the VAR deemed it "not clear and obvious."

These inconsistencies have led to accusations of bias and incompetence.

2. Subjective handball and foul decisions

VAR is most controversial for handball and foul decisions, which are inherently subjective.

The handball rule has changed multiple times since VAR was introduced:

• 2019-20: Any handball in the build-up to a goal is an offence (even accidental)
• 2020-21: Handball is an offence only if the arm is in an "unnatural position"
• 2021-22: Handball is an offence only if it "directly" leads to a goal
• 2023-24: Handball is an offence if the arm is "above shoulder height" or "making the body bigger"

These constant rule changes have confused fans, players, and referees, and VAR decisions are often inconsistent.

3. Killing spontaneous goal celebrations

One of the most common fan complaints is that VAR kills spontaneous goal celebrations. When a goal is scored, fans must wait 30-90 seconds to confirm it stands, ruining the emotional release of celebrating a goal.

A survey by the Premier League in August 2024 found that 67% of fans want major changes to VAR or its abolition, with spontaneous celebrations cited as the top concern.

4. Offside by millimetres

VAR has disallowed goals for offside by 2-5 centimetres, which many fans consider absurd. Critics argue that offside was never intended to penalise players for being marginally ahead of the last defender.

The introduction of semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) in 2024-25 has reduced the time taken to make offside decisions, but it has not addressed the underlying issue of marginal offsides.

Some leagues (e.g., Eredivisie in the Netherlands) have experimented with thicker offside lines (10cm instead of 5cm) to give attackers the benefit of the doubt, but this has not been adopted by the Premier League.

5. Lack of transparency

Until 2023, VAR audio was not made public, leading to conspiracy theories about bias and corruption. In 2024, the Premier League began releasing VAR audio recordings for controversial decisions, but only after the match, which does not help fans in the stadium understand what is happening.

The Premier League is testing in-stadium announcements (similar to the NFL) where the referee explains VAR decisions over the PA system, but this has not yet been rolled out league-wide.

The Cost of VAR

VAR is expensive to operate. The Premier League spends approximately £10 million per year on VAR, including:

• Stockley Park hub — £3 million per year (rent, equipment, staff)
• VAR officials — £4 million per year (4 officials per match × 380 matches × £2,500 per match)
• Technology — £3 million per year (cameras, AI tracking, software)

Lower leagues (e.g., Championship, League One) cannot afford VAR, creating a two-tier system where top-flight matches have VAR but lower-league matches do not.

The Wolverhampton Vote: Should VAR Be Abolished?

In June 2024, Wolverhampton Wanderers proposed a motion to abolish VAR at the Premier League's Annual General Meeting (AGM). The motion argued that VAR:

• Undermines the role of the referee by second-guessing on-field decisions
• Damages the fan experience by killing spontaneous celebrations
• Creates more controversy than it solves