Supporters’ poll shows VAR is spoiling their enjoyment
The Premier League has been told to take urgent steps to improve its use of VAR after more than 40 per cent of supporters claimed the technology made them less likely to attend matches.
A survey of more than 33,000 fans conducted by the Football Supporters’ Association found 95 per cent believe video officiating has made football less enjoyable.
Supporters pointed to the removal of the joy of goal celebrations and delays to decision-making as their chief concerns, with 44 per cent of regular match-going fans polled claiming they would be less likely to attend games because of VAR.
FSA vice-chair Tom Greatrex said: “There is a clear feeling among fans that VAR has ruined the spontaneity of goal celebrations and taken away a big part of our most enjoyable matchday moments.
“With four in 10 fans saying that VAR is likely to lead them to attend fewer matches in the future we hope PGMOL and the Premier League will hear the fans’ voice and take urgent steps to improve a system that isn’t delivering clear and understandable decisions in stadiums.”
The largest consultation of its kind on VAR, the survey ran online for two weeks in early April. It was proposed by the FSA’s working group on VAR, which was formed last year following a motion put forward at the association’s AGM by the Wolves Fans’ Parliament.
Neil Dady, the parliament’s FSA representative who sits on the working group, explained how poor communication inside stadiums was also among the concerns noted by fans.
He said: “The overwhelming feedback was that supporters who attend matches often don’t know what is going on when VAR intervenes and a decision is changed.
“The PGMOL and Premier League have frequently issued statements during matches explaining decisions but if you are actually at the game you are none the wiser.”
While 97 per cent of supporters polled were in favour of goalline technology, due to its ability to provide instant results, just 26 per cent said they supported the use of VAR. Only 13 per cent believed its introduction two seasons ago had improved the accuracy of refereeing decisions.
The results of the survey have been passed on to the Premier League, which is undergoing a similar consultation of players and managers to make improvements to VAR from next season.
