'Absolutely not' - Premier League handed clear VAR verdict amid crucial decision

In a shocking turn of events, this weekend could be the last time VAR is used in the Premier League. Following its introduction for the 2019/20 season, after a mostly successful trial in the previous year's World Cup, the technology has divided opinion significantly.

While the correct decision is often reached, grievances over VAR are mostly through how long it takes to reach a final decision and also a lack of consistency. In this current season, it is fair to say that scrutiny has been higher with that stemming from the wrongfully disallowed goal by Luis Diaz in Liverpool's defeat to Tottenham back in September.

Following that call and numerous others, The Athletic have revealed a vote will take place at next month's annual general meeting where clubs will decide whether or not to abolish VAR for next season with Wolverhampton Wanderers the club to have put forward the proposal.

Here, football.london writers give their view on the huge update coming out of the Premier League with the future of VAR unsure.

Kieran Horn

Every football fan has their thoughts on VAR but never did it occur to me there would be a chance to remove it from the Premier League.

In this campaign especially, patience has worn thin on how long it takes, for what appears to be a simple outcome, to actually reach a final decision. However, what cannot be disputed is the technology is often right and it has undoubtedly changed the way the game is officiated.

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Having VAR is a fall back for referees to use if they are unsure and so returning to the opinion of one individual presents the exact same issues. Ultimately, the main issue is obvious and it is not with the technology but the people in operation of.

Removing VAR would not stop wrong decisions being made and thus Premier League clubs will always still have grievances. Given how many times Wolves have been affected, it is understandable they would want it abolished but let's be honest, is it really expected that 14 of 20 clubs will pass the proposal? In my opinion, I just can't see it happening and honestly don't think it should.

Jack Flintham

As a supporter of an EFL club, I cannot count the number of times where I have exited the stadium and wondered what might have been if VAR was in operation. Does this mean I think it should remain in the Premier League? Absolutely not.

When it was introduced in 2019 there was talk that the age of contentious refereeing decisions was over and a new dawn for match officiating was upon us. However, what we have found following this prolonged trial period is that all it has done has created more controversy and sucked the soul out of the match day experience.

The introduction of goal-line technology has been a revelation because it is a simple yes or no, there are no shades of grey. However, when you use retrospective technology to judge fouls it becomes a farce because, quite frankly, Stockley Park does not know when to butt out.

My only concern with scrapping VAR is whether we will see a rise in Premier League clubs threatening legal action against PGMOL if mistakes are made. We have seen that suggested this season but it needs to be nipped in the bud as soon as possible.

Should VAR be scrapped, Premier League clubs will need to learn to accept that human error is the price they have to pay for a more enjoyable product.

Isaac Seelochan

VAR has been a major annoyance for football fans ever since it was introduced. Lengthy waits for decisions during matches have united all supporters in frustration.

However, the genie is now out of the bottle and I fear there is no going back. Just imagine if there was a blatant error from the on-field referee which could no longer be corrected because VAR has been abolished. Plenty of people would be calling for VAR to come back and it would become a vicious circle.

The PGMOL need to focus on improving how the system is used rather than getting rid of it. VAR needs to be more efficient with decisions being made at greater speed. The introduction of automated offsides from next season should take away some of the annoyance when it comes to this.

Oliver Jones

Is 'VAR' really the issue at hand here?

Humans are funny things. We point the finger at anything other than ourselves so often that we've conditioned ourselves into doubting the technology rather than acknowledging the actual problem - human error and the state of refereeing in England.

Those at the PGMOL have tried to do the right thing and hold themselves accountable by hosting programmes on Sky Sports, providing audio over key decisions and opening the door to constructive and fair criticism but ultimately, they've not fixed the root issue which is the sheer amount of inconsistent decisions from game to game - something which can only be 'VAR's fault' if you can't implement the technology correctly.

I still can't fathom how we don't have the VAR decision-making process on the big screens in stadiums, and why supporters both in the stadium and at home can't hear officials discussing the issue. It'd immediately solve two of the major problems VAR currently has; those being the lack of accountability surrounding officials and the lack of transparency during matches. Take the TMO in rugby as an example to learn from.

The introduction of goalline technology was enormous for football because it was so black-and-white, no room for grey areas, it’s either over the line or it’s not. With football’s laws being full of grey areas and up for human interpretation though, that’s a big problem that needs solving.

VAR has potential in this country, despite a very muddy start. Ultimately, the controversy around VAR is nothing but human error getting in the way of good football. You had it before and you'll have it in the future, with or without the technology. Scrapping it would be a shame in my book.