Premier League clubs vote to retain VAR after vote: Here’s what to know about decision

Premier League clubs have voted to maintain VAR for the 2024-25 season, as a motion by Wolverhampton Wanderers to abolish the video review system was defeated at the league’s annual general meeting.

CBS Sports understands that Wolves were the only club to vote in favor of abolishing the system, which was introduced in the 2019-20 season. However, representatives from the league’s 20 clubs spent an hour in dialogue over improvements that need to be made to the system, according to sources, with significant pressure placed on refereeing chief Howard Webb and Tony Scholes, the Premier League’s director of football. Given that the announcement included a renewed commitment to “a high threshold for VAR intervention”, clubs expect this level to be raised for 2024-25.

The last 12 months in particular have seen numerous controversies surrounding the role of video assistant referees, most notably a Liverpool goal being incorrectly disallowed against Tottenham and a penalty denied to Wolves in the opening round of the game for what appeared to be an obvious foul by Manchester United goalkeeper André Onana.

Systemic issues, including the time required to make decisions, remain, although the latter must be addressed through the implementation of semi-automatic offside technology (SAOT) in the autumn of the 2024-25 season. The Premier League statement acknowledged that “improvements must be made for the benefit of the game and fans”.

The league added that six areas were the focus of discussion among its 20 clubs:

1. A high threshold for VAR intervention provides greater consistency
2. Reduction of delays through VAR, partly through SAOT and through the high limit
3. Improve fans’ in-stadium experience, including “an enhanced large-screen replay offering to include all VAR interventions”
4. Improved training for referees in VAR, to be implemented in collaboration with the refereeing body PGMOL
5. Greater transparency in VAR processes
6. A “VAR communications campaign for fans and stakeholders”

The league added that it “will continue to put pressure on IFAB [football’s lawmakers] to allow greater flexibility in the laws of the game to allow for live video and audio transmission during VAR reviews.”

It had long been expected that Wolves’ proposal would fall just short of the 14 votes needed to scrap VAR, but the 19-1 margin is as close to an endorsement of the technology as the Premier League and PGMOL could have hoped for.

In response, Wolves said: “While we are disappointed with the outcome of the vote on the future of VAR at today’s annual general meeting, we recognize and accept the decision made by our fellow clubs and are assured that the Premier League is taking the take the concerns of clubs and fans seriously.

“We welcome the commitment to improving VAR, particularly in areas that address delays, consistency and fan experience. While we still believe that Premier League football would be superior for fans, players, coaches and spectators without VAR, we believe these improvements are crucial for the integrity of the game and to improve the overall game day experience for our fans.

“Wolves remain committed to working closely with the Premier League and PGMOL to ensure VAR continues to evolve and better serve the interests of football. We appreciate the efforts being made to address the issues we have highlighted in our resolution and look forward to seeing if the changes implemented this summer can reverse the decline in our fans’ match day experience and respect for our officials.”

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