Daily Junction.mobi portalThe motion required 14 of 20 clubs to vote in favour to pass. It was defeated 19-1, with only Wolves voting in favour.
However, the vote highlighted the depth of opposition to VAR among fans and some clubs. Wolves' chairman Jeff Shi said: "VAR was supposed to make football fairer, but it has made it more frustrating and less enjoyable."
Despite the vote to keep VAR, the Premier League has committed to reforms to address fan concerns:
Introduced in 2024-25, SAOT reduces offside decision time from 70 seconds to 25 seconds and removes human error from offside calls. Early feedback has been positive, with fans appreciating the faster decisions.
The Premier League is testing a system where the referee explains VAR decisions over the PA system (similar to the NFL). This would help fans in the stadium understand what is happening, rather than relying on TV broadcasts.
The Premier League has instructed VAR officials to intervene only for clear and obvious errors, not for subjective 50-50 decisions. This is intended to reduce the number of interventions and speed up the game.
Since 2024, the Premier League has released VAR audio recordings for controversial decisions, allowing fans to hear the conversation between the VAR team and the on-field referee. This has improved transparency but has also revealed mistakes and inconsistencies.
The Premier League has established an independent VAR panel (including former players, managers, and referees) to review controversial decisions and provide feedback to officials. The panel's findings are published weekly.
VAR is used in most top-level competitions worldwide, but implementation varies:
Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology was introduced to eliminate 'clear and obvious errors' in four situations: goals, penalties, red cards, and mistaken identity, but has expanded to review subjective decisions like handball and offside. The Premier League's VAR system made 118 interventions in 2023-24, overturning 72 on-field decisions, but surveys show 67% of fans want major changes or abolition. Semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) was introduced at the 2022 World Cup and adopted by the Premier League in 2024-25, reducing offside decision time from 70 seconds to 25 seconds.
VAR's biggest controversies involve subjective calls (handball, fouls) where the 'clear and obvious' threshold is inconsistently applied, leading to accusations of bias. The system costs £10 million annually to operate in the Premier League, with each VAR hub employing 4 officials per match and requiring high-speed cameras and AI tracking. Despite a motion by Wolverhampton Wanderers to abolish VAR in 2024, the system was retained by a 19-1 vote, but the Premier League has committed to reforms including in-stadium announcements, stricter intervention thresholds, and public release of VAR audio. VAR has improved decision accuracy from 82% to 96%, but many fans argue the cost to spontaneity and flow of the game is too high.