Will Premier League scrap VAR? Everton and Liverpool to face showdown vote after Wolves decision

The Premier League's next annual general meeting will allow clubs the opportunity to vote on whether the league should persist with VAR.

The technology was introduced to the Premier League at the start of the 2019/20 season but has been the subject of debate ever since and this season the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Nottingham Forest have written to the PGMOL to query some questionable decisions.

As a result of such high-profile mistakes this campaign, including Luis Diaz's wrongly disallowed goal at Tottenham Hotspur back in September, Wolverhampton Wanderers have submitted an agenda for the scrapping of VAR to be discussed at the Premier League's AGM in Harrogate on June 6.

READ MORE: Jurgen Klopp finally realises Liverpool ambition as reason for poignant Anfield moment revealed

READ MORE: Arne Slot drops major Liverpool summer transfer hint ahead of squad changes

Here, the ECHO takes a look at everything we know about VAR's future in the Premier League.

Why did Wolves write to the Premier League?

Wolves claim they have tabled the motion to get VAR removed from the Premier League as part of the "best possible outcome for football".

In a statement released by the Molineux club, they say: "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.

"However, after five seasons of VAR in the Premier League, it is time for a constructive and critical debate on its future.

"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."

What VAR mistakes have affected Liverpool this season?

One of the most high-profile mistakes of the Premier League season came during Liverpool's 2-1 loss at Tottenham Hotspur in September when Diaz wrongly saw a goal ruled out for offside, which prompted an apology from the PGMOL.

Diaz thought he had put the Reds 1-0 up midway through the first half in North London, only for Son Heung-Min and an own goal from Joel Matip to fire the hosts to victory after Cody Gakpo had equalised.

After the game, it became apparent that a VAR check by Darren England had been conducted incorrectly and therefore he had mistaken Diaz to be in an offside position. As a result, PGMOL admitted the mistake was a "significant human error".

"PGMOL acknowledges a significant human error occurred," read a statement. "PGMOL will conduct a full review. The goal by Luiz Diaz was disallowed for offside by the on-field team of match officials.

"This was a clear and obvious factual error and should have resulted in the goal being awarded through VAR intervention, however, the VAR failed to intervene."

Liverpool stance on VAR

Following the defeat in North London, Liverpool said they would "explore the range of options available" and that it was "unsatisfactory that sufficient time was not afforded to allow the correct decision to be made".

The full statement read: "Liverpool Football Club acknowledges PGMOL’s admission of their failures last night. It is clear that the correct application of the laws of the game did not occur, resulting in sporting integrity being undermined.

"We fully accept the pressures that match officials work under but these pressures are supposed to be alleviated, not exacerbated, by the existence and implementation of VAR. It is therefore unsatisfactory that sufficient time was not afforded to allow the correct decision to be made and that there was no subsequent intervention.

"That such failings have already been categorised as “significant human error” is also unacceptable. Any and all outcomes should be established only by the review and with full transparency.

"This is vital for the reliability of future decision-making as it applies to all clubs with learnings being used to make improvements to processes in order to ensure this kind of situation cannot occur again.

"In the meantime, we will explore the range of options available, given the clear need for escalation and resolution."

Everton stance on VAR

Sean Dyche has previously admitted he had concerns about the length of the protocol VAR follows - even if it did benefit Everton in a draw against Aston Villa back in January.

Asked about the decision to rule out Alex Moreno's long-range effort after Leon Bailey was in an offside position during the build-up, the Everton boss said “I couldn’t believe how long it took. It was a foul on Danjuma, don’t worry about the offside. He is coming off the post and the lad drags him to the floor, it is a foul.

"I know we talk about who is deciding what decision but the one that I talk about to the powers to be is that you can make all these rules but at the end of the day there should be an ‘override’ button that says ‘that is a foul, end of, so don’t even worry about the offside’.

"That way it cleans it up very quickly and we all get on with it and no-one is worried about it. That is all I would ask. Today it was the right outcome, thankfully… but I didn’t think it needed to take that amount of time.”

What other VAR incidents have affected Liverpool this season?

As well as Diaz's disallowed goal against Tottenham, Liverpool were on the receiving end of wrong decisions in games against Bournemouth and Arsenal.

When the Cherries visited Anfield back in August, Mac Allister was shown a straight red card by referee Thomas Bramall for a challenge on Ryan Christie. However, the Argentine's three-match ban was overturned by the Football Association after a successful appeal.

Meanwhile, when Arsenal visited Anfield in a top-of-the-table clash in December, Martin Odegaard was not punished despite handling the ball in the penalty area on a night when the Reds could only manage a draw against the Gunners.

PGMOL chief Howard Webb would later admit that referee Chris Kavanagh should have penalised Odegaard and awarded Liverpool a penalty kick.

What will happen at the Premier League AGM?

According to the Daily Mail's Mike Keegan, Premier League clubs are likely to vote in favour of VAR "but will use the vote as an opportunity to urge improvement".