The Premier League has claimed that eliminating video assistant referees (VAR) would result in 100 more incorrect refereeing decisions per season. This assertion was made in a briefing document sent to all 20 clubs ahead of the annual general meeting on Thursday, June 6.
The resolution to vote on the continued use of VAR was formally submitted by Wolves in May. Despite this, Premier League clubs are unlikely to approve the proposal to remove VAR. However, in-game VAR announcements are set to be introduced.
Tony Scholes, the Premier League's chief football officer, authored a 'VAR Improvement Plan' sent to clubs on Wednesday. The document, seen by BBC Sport, outlines the potential impact of removing VAR, highlighting that certain "match-defining" incorrect decisions by on-field referees would not be overturned in the absence of VAR.
While acknowledging that scrapping VAR would reduce game interruptions and delays, the document states that "significantly more officiating errors would be made (around 100 per season), including highly contentious match-deciding incidents, potentially in critically important matches."
According to the Premier League, there were only five incorrect VAR interventions last season, compared to 105 correct calls. This marks an improvement from the 2022-23 season, which had 11 incorrect VAR decisions versus 105 correct ones.
The league also cites contractual commitments to significant operating costs of VAR for the next three years as a reason to maintain the system. It warns that being the only major European league to remove VAR could be "potentially damaging" to its reputation and could impact English referees' assignments for UEFA or FIFA tournaments, as regular experience with VAR is deemed crucial.
The briefing document acknowledges issues with VAR, particularly the time taken for decisions. The average delay for a single VAR check was 64 seconds in the 2023-24 season, up from 40 seconds in 2022-23. An anticipated change includes the introduction of in-game VAR announcements from referees, similar to those used by FIFA at several competitions, including the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
These changes are expected to be welcomed by most Premier League clubs. BBC Sport understands that Manchester City, Arsenal, and Tottenham are among the clubs that support keeping VAR but demand improvements. Liverpool also does not support scrapping VAR.
However, Wolves remain strongly in favor of eliminating VAR and circulated their own briefing paper on Wednesday. The club's paper highlights the negative impact on match-going fans and their experience, arguing that the impact on correct decisions is negligible.
"Wolves argue that the use of VAR has led to increased disengagement among the Premier League’s match-attending fans due to its adverse effects on the match experience, resulting in apathy, hostility, and erosion of trust in football's authorities and officials," the paper states.
They added: "Premier League data shows an increase in correct decisions from 82% pre-VAR to 96% with VAR, highlighting its effectiveness in reducing errors. If we put aside the argument on whether the data is credible and convincing, while overall accuracy might be increased to a debatable degree, the cost in terms of match enjoyment and fan engagement outweighs these benefits. The integrity of the game is compromised by lengthy interruptions and inconsistent application of VAR protocols."
