Three-quarters of Premier League fans want VAR scrapped, survey finds
Football Supporters' Association poll of nearly 8,000 fans shows 75% oppose VAR, with 90% saying it has harmed the matchday experience.
8:46 PM
Three-quarters of Premier League fans oppose the use of video assistant referee technology, according to a new survey by the Football Supporters' Association, an organisation representing supporters in England and Wales.
The poll surveyed just under 8,000 fans, just over half of whom attend more than 15 home games a season, asking supporters of the 20 Premier League clubs for their views on VAR.
Of those polled, 75.71% said they did not support VAR's use. The survey found that 90% disagreed that VAR has made the match-going experience better, and 91% believe the technology has removed the spontaneous joy of goal celebrations. Additionally, 97% disagreed that VAR makes watching football more enjoyable, and 81% said they preferred watching matches without video technology.
Only 2% of respondents agreed that VAR "makes football more enjoyable", and 3% said it made the experience of attending a match better.
A significant source of frustration among fans is the length of time taken to reach decisions. Fewer than 3% of those surveyed agreed that VAR decisions happen within a reasonable timeframe. More than 90% feel the technology has not made decisions faster, despite efforts to speed up the process.
On the accuracy of refereeing decisions, more than 70% of fans disagreed that VAR has improved decision-making. Thomas Concannon, the FSA's Premier League network manager, told BBC Sport that the results show most fans want VAR removed. "People are annoyed about the time that it takes, annoyed about the accuracy, and annoyed about the reduced spontaneity," Concannon said.
The findings reflect a hardening of opposition to VAR over time. In 2021, 74 per cent of FSA members said they were against VAR; that figure has now grown to 76 per cent among Premier League fans surveyed in the latest poll.
The survey comes as the International Football Association Board, the body that determines the game's laws, approved FIFA-backed plans last month to extend VAR's remit to include checks for corner kicks and second yellow cards. More than half of the fans surveyed approved of the introduction of in-stadium communication from referees to explain VAR decisions in the Premier League this season, though other newly announced extensions of the VAR protocol drew less support.