No VAR from next season? Premier League clubs to vote on scrapping ‘dodgy’ technology

All 20 Premier League clubs will be voting on whether to scrap Video Assistant Referees (VAR) from next season at their annual generalmeeting next month. The contentious technology has been in controversy the entire season with numerous calls given by it deemed wrong by clubs and fans alike.

Wolverhampton Wanderersbrought the official proposal forward on Wednesday (May 15) which will trigger a vote when the clubs gather in Harrogate on June 6.

Wolves said they brought the resolution "after careful consideration and with the utmost respect for the Premier League, PGMOL and our fellow competitors".

"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," it added.

VAR was introduced in the top tier of English football five seasons ago in 2019/20 after its successful implementation in the Russia World Cup. However, since then, the technology has been under constant controversy with clubs often ruing that VAR was not doing what it had set out to correct.

“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.”

VAR's biggest disgrace

While small errors have been part of VAR since its inception, the officials using the VAR system made a massive howler in September last year whenLiverpool's Luiz Diaz scored a clear onside goal against Tottenham Hotspur but it was chalked off due to a communication breakdown.

A few matches later, Arsenal manager MikelArteta labelled the defeat against Newcastle United a 'disgrace' after Anthony Gordon's tap-in goal stood despite the VAR checking the goal for three possible fouls.

“Embarrassing, it’s an absolute disgrace, that’s what it is: a disgrace. There’s so much at stake, we’ve put in so many hours to compete at the highest level and you cannot imagine the amount of messages we’ve had saying this cannot continue. It’s embarrassing," said Arteta at the time.

More recently, Nottingham Forest wrote letters of complaint to PGMOL and threatened to sue the referee's body. The club also questioned the appointment of VAR Stuart Attwell following April's defeat at Everton.

(With inputs from agencies)