Premier League clubs expect a proposal to abolish the VAR review system to be defeated at tomorrow’s annual general meeting (AGM).
The Athletic exclusively revealed in May that Premier League clubs were set to hold a vote at their annual general meeting — to be held in Harrowgate on Thursday — on a proposal to abolish VAR from the start of next season following a motion from Wolverhampton Wanderers.
But despite talk over withdrawing VAR from England’s top flight, it looks set to remain in place for the 2024-25 campaign.
Premier League clubs have a constitutional right to propose rule changes, but any such proposal requires a two-thirds majority (14 out of 20 clubs) to pass. This is not expected to be reached, as there is a feeling that most clubs would be inclined to improve the current system rather than get rid of it entirely.
There are also set to be officiating changes in the Premier League next season, with the introduction of semi-automated offsides approved at April’s Premier League shareholders’ meeting.
Chief of the Professional Game Match Officials Board (PGMOL), England’s officiating body, Howard Webb also confirmed in April the Premier League was exploring the introduction of in-stadium announcements to explain VAR decisions.
VAR has been used in the English top-flight since 2019, helping improve decision making but also generating persistent controversy.
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When putting the motion forward last month, Wolves accepted the decision to introduce VAR was “made in good faith and with the best interests of football and the Premier League at its heart” but argued it has caused “numerous unintended negative consequences that are damaging the relationship between fans and football, and undermining the value of the Premier League brand”.
Wolves listed a host of repercussions including the impact on goal celebrations, confusion inside stadiums due to lengthy checks and poor communication and diminished accountability of on-field officials.
The top flight’s board of directors believes removing VAR is not the correct path forward, suggesting that doing so would increase wrong calls and adversely impact the Premier League’s reputation among Europe’s leading divisions. It also thinks the void left, having removed VAR, would potentially place even greater criticism on on-field decisions made by match officials and increase frustration for supporters.
Since VAR was brought in five years ago, the number of correct decisions made in games has increased from 82 per cent, prior to its introduction, to 96 per cent this season. Statistics released by the English Football League (EFL) last month showed officials in the Championship, a division that has not implemented VAR, got 85 per cent of decisions right during the 2023-24 campaign.
The 2023-24 season has featured many contentious incidents in the Premier League, which has heightened the criticism of VAR and led some teams and fans to question the competition’s integrity.
Liverpool’s Luis Diaz saw a goal wrongly disallowed for offside against Tottenham Hotspur in September, resulting in a PGMOL apology following a “significant human error”.
Nottingham Forest have written letters of complaint to — and considered suing — PGMOL, while also questioning the appointment of VAR Stuart Attwell following April’s defeat at Everton.
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