Wolverhampton have sent a formal request to the Premier League and its member clubs to scrap VAR next season, an unprecedented initiative in world football. The proposal will be voted on at the annual meeting set for June 6 and requires 14 favorable votes from the 20 teams that make up the championship for it to go ahead.
Wolverhampton explained the reasons for its decision in a statement sent to the Premier League in which it accused video refereeing, which arrived in England during the 2019/20 campaign. These are the reasons Wolves give for asking for VAR to be removed in a letter they sent to the Premier League.
Balloons letter to Premier
Wolves have formally submitted a resolution to the Premier League to promote a vote at the Annual General Meeting on the removal of VAR from the start of the 2024/25 season.
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The introduction of VAR in 2019/20 was a decision made in good faith and with the best interests of football and the Premier League in mind. However, this has had a number of unintended negative consequences that have damaged the relationship between fans and football and undermined the Premier League’s brand value, including:
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-Effect celebrating goals and the spontaneous passion that makes football special.
-Frustration and confusion inside stadiums due to long VAR controls and poor communication.
-An even worse atmosphere with protests, boos of the Premier League anthem and chants against VAR.
-More than VAR’s original purpose of correcting clear and obvious mistakes, it now analyzes subjective decisions and compromises the fluidity and integrity of the game.
-The responsibility of referees on the field has decreased, due to the safety net of VAR, leading to the erosion of their authority on the field.
-Continuous errors despite VAR, with fans unable to accept human error after multiple viewings and replays, undermining confidence in refereeing standards.
-Disrupting the fast pace of the Premier League with lengthy VAR reviews and more extra time, causing matches to be excessively long.
-Continuous talk about VAR decisions often overshadows the match itself and tarnishes the league’s reputation.
-Erosion of trust and reputation, VAR with completely unfounded accusations of corruption.
The decision to table the resolution came after careful consideration and with the utmost respect for the Premier League, PGMOL and our fellow competitors.
No one is to blame: we are all looking for the best possible result for football and all stakeholders are working hard to try to 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 about its future.
“Our position is that the price we pay for a small increase in accuracy goes against the spirit of our game and, as a result, we must remove it from the 2024/25 season.”
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Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
