Removal of VAR divides crowds in England

Subject to countless controversies since its introduction into the world of football in 2016, video assistance refereeing (VAR), increasingly questioned by supporters, clubs and their managers, has not not convinced everyone. Proof of this was last February when Sweden became the first country to want to do without this technology for its first and second division national championships. “If I counted correctly, we have eighteen elite clubs and two districts who have declared that they do not want to introduce VAR. We respect that. This is why we did not present any proposals regarding VAR at the previous meeting of the Council of Representatives, nor do I foresee this happening in the future.expressed the president of the Swedish Football Federation, Fredrik Reinfeldt, in the columns of the local newspaper Aftonbladet.

England ready to lead its own little revolution?

It is clear today that this decision originally taken unilaterally by Sweden could soon have repercussions in England. On Wednesday, the Wolverhampton club threw a wrench into the water by submitting via an official press release a resolution aimed at abolishing video assistance in refereeing in the Premier League from the 2024-2025 season. “There is no blame – we are all looking to achieve the best possible outcome for football – and all stakeholders have worked hard 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.justified the residents of the Molineux Stadium before adding: “Our position is that the price we pay for a small increase in accuracy is contradictory to the spirit of our game, and therefore we should eliminate it starting in the 2024-2025 season.”

Consequently, all the teams playing among the English elite will be called to vote on whether or not to maintain the VAR at an assembly to be held on June 6 in Harrogate. Despite a report published by the Premier League last February in which the body specified that VAR had intervened correctly on 57 occasions and that around twenty errors had been noted since the resumption in August, the Wolverhampton club targeted other issues such as the impact of goal celebrations, confusion in the stadiums after long checks and a hostile atmosphere in the stands which “damage the relationship between fans and football, undermining the value of the Premier League brand” to give a little more weight to his project. So, can we see this as a simple piece of pressure from the Midlands team destined for the Premier League with a view to reforming video refereeing or will we witness a real revolution in England?

Klopp against VAR, Pochettino for it, Arteta kicks in

At a time when its future remains in doubt, all these questions are being asked in England and opinions differ. Present at a press conference on the sidelines of his last match as Liverpool coach against Wolverhampton on Sunday, Jürgen Klopp gave his opinion on the subject. And although the latter is not immediately concerned by this little revolution, the German technician nevertheless considers himself in favor of its suppression. “The way it is used is definitely not fair… I would vote against VAR. These people can’t use it properly. VAR is not the problem, you can’t change people, so I would vote for removing VAR.”hammered the coach of the Reds, who undoubtedly keeps in his throat a goal refused to Luis Diaz during a Tottenham-Liverpool dating from last fall (defeat of the Reds 1-2) which had caused a lot of money to flow. ink to His Majesty’s Kingdom.

If the Liverpool coach has clearly taken a position on the issue, this is not the case for his London counterpart, Mauricio Pochettino, whose opinion is at odds with that of the German. “I am not involved in this process. I like VAR. The way we need to improve is how we use VAR, that for me is the key. We must be open and welcome new technology. I think it’s good for football, we just need to decide on the best strategy to improve the way we use VAR.”, declared the Argentine tactician of Chelsea to journalists. Very critical of VAR in the past, such as when he suffered his first defeat of the season against Newcastle, Mikel Arteta decided not to linger on the subject. “This is a subject that we all need to discuss together, because there is not too much clarity at the moment. When this is all over, we will talk about the rules again and from there we will see who is for and who is against.explained the Iberian.

The abolition of VAR among footballers?

What about footballers? As for the former glories of English football, VAR is far from unanimous. We only have to refer to the comments made by Wayne Rooney, who seems to defend the Wolverhampton proposal body and soul. “Please. I talked about VAR. I do not like it. If it’s there and they make all the right decisions, then that’s great, but it takes all the fun out of the game.”expressed the ex-Manchester United striker on the air of Sky Sports followed by another Mancunian club legend, Roy Keane. “The strange thing is that we talk about decisions more than ever now. Considering everything has been there to help the officials every weekend, we are talking about decisions, even more than in the days when there was no VAR. Without VAR, you accept the referee’s decision, some go for you and some go against you. I wasn’t a fan, it slows down the game and it’s frustrating for everyone.added the former Irish midfielder.

As for players still active, Harry Maguire was the first to speak out on this eternal topic of discussion. In an interview given to Sunthe Three Lions defender had a rather nuanced opinion, believing that VAR should only be maintained to rule on offside. “Personally, I would keep VAR but only for offside. I’d ditch it for anything opinion-based. Offsides are factual and not subjective… Everyone makes mistakes, linesmen make mistakes, that’s why I would save VAR for that. But I wouldn’t have saved it for red cards or penalties because even now people don’t agree on whether a decision is good or bad., tempered the Sheffield native while awaiting the verdict of the 20 Premier League residents on June 6. As a reminder, Wolves’ resolution must obtain the approval of 14 of the 20 clubs involved in the first division to be adopted.