Game 'killer' or 'fairer' - does the Championship need VAR?

The agony of a goal being disallowed by a video assistant referee (VAR) might never have been felt as acutely as it was by Sheffield United fans on 24 May 2025.

Since that day, Sunderland have enjoyed an excellent return to the Premier League following an eight-year exodus - but there is a world in which it could have been so very different for the Black Cats.

When the Blades went 2-0 up against Sunderland through Harrison Burrows in the Championship play-off final at Wembley last season, they were well on top and appeared to be cruising into the top flight.

But VAR intervened for the one and only time in the campaign to rule out the goal for offside with Vinicius Souza adjudged to be blocking goalkeeper Anthony Patterson's line of sight.

"I don't think the goalkeeper saves it, I don't think he gets anywhere near it," Blades boss Chris Wilder bemoaned at the time.

"We've played 46 games, two play-off games and all of a sudden it's a subjective [VAR] decision."

Sunderland produced a dramatic comeback with two goals in the final 20 minutes to win 2-1 and secure promotion but without VAR, Regis le Bris' side could still be playing second-tier football.

VAR is not in use in the Championship regular season and since 2022 has only been brought in for the play-off final.

But with multiple refereeing decisions causing controversy in 2025-26, some managers have called for the introduction of the technology for every league game.

So should VAR be used in the Championship? BBC Sport takes a look.

Recently sacked Bristol City head coach Gerhard Struber said he is "not a fan" of VAR but that the outcome of matches would be "fairer" if it was in use.

It is not an uncommon view on the technology, which was introduced in the Premier League in 2019, though just this week 75% of 8,000 fans surveyed by the Football Supporters Association said they did not want VAR in the top flight.

Is it better to enjoy the thrill of a goal celebration without fear it may be ruled out retrospectively? Or is there simply too much at stake to ignore the video support available?

Struber is one of three Championship bosses who have publicly called for VAR to be introduced, with the Austrian doing so after the Robins had a late equaliser controversially ruled out for offside in their 1-0 defeat by Millwall in December.

"I am not a fan of VAR but this shows us the many signs that with VAR the decisions are better and more fair," Struber told BBC Radio Bristol.

"We should do everything for more fairness. The Championship is one of the most attractive, interesting and dynamic leagues in the whole world and I would say this would deserve VAR.

"In many other countries, much lower league levels have VAR and also many other coaches want to have VAR in the near future."

Former Blackburn manager Valerien Ismael was another advocate, describing the need for the technology as "urgent" to help stop "embarrassing decisions week in, week out".

In February, Hull City head coach Sergej Jakirovic was emphatic in his calls for VAR after the Tigers conceded a "clearly offside" goal in their 4-2 win over Derby and claims every manager in the Championship is pro-VAR.

"This is why I am always calling for VAR," Jakirovic told BBC Radio Humberside in response to Craig Forsyth pouncing on a rebound from an offside position to score.

"I know you can't see it but it's changing momentum on the pitch. I ask all the time and I know all the managers in this league agree with me."

Jakirovic's claims that every Championship boss universally backs VAR might not be entirely accurate though.

Despite Preston North End manager Paul Heckingbottom saying he is a "fan of VAR" because it would have helped his side win "so many games", the 48-year-old was scathing in his review of the impact it would have for supporters.

"All VAR does is bring another person into it who doesn't deserve to be in the game, knows nothing about football and it kills the atmosphere in stadiums," he said after a 1-0 defeat to Birmingham City in October.

It was in that game that Heckingbottom claimed Blues defender Phil Neumann "scored with his hand".

Replays showed the ball struck Neumann's arm on the way in and had VAR been in use, the goal would have almost certainly been ruled out.

"This is my point, it is just not good enough," Heckingbottom said. "These incidents are just rife among football and this is supposedly the fifth best league in the world."

But Heckingbottom also admitted: "I hate VAR as a fan."

And Heckingbottom is perhaps a perfect point of reference having managed in the Premier League with Sheffield United for a brief spell in 2021 and then again between August and December 2023.

"I've experienced it and it is an issue for the teams that go up," he said. "All of a sudden it's almost like we're playing a different game in the Championship to the Premier League.

"As a product, most fans would like to see a lot more of what goes off in the Championship than the Premier League."

Derby County head coach John Eustace is also wary of the Championship losing the physicality and competitiveness that makes football "the best game in the world" if VAR were to be introduced.

"I think in the Premier League obviously you can't get away with as much because of VAR," Eustace told BBC Radio Derby in February.

"In the Championship, I think it's always been going on [physical challenges] and it's probably just not highlighted as much because we haven't got the equipment to highlight it.

"We don't want to take that physicality out of the game, we want it to be competitive. We want to see two teams at it, being aggressive. We can't have a soft game."

If the introduction of VAR in the Championship was a referendum decided by BBC Sport readers, it would be a landslide victory for camp "no to VAR", which scooped 82% of the vote.

Of the 815 fans who responded, 667 are against it and 88 are in favour, while 60 people said they would like the use of technology but not in the way it is currently implemented in the Premier League.

An overwhelming number of supporters of teams who have played in both the Premier League with VAR and in the Championship in recent years also said they preferred the live fan experience without technology in use.

"Football is not life or death, it's a form of entertainment," said EFL follower Henry Dalton-Stone.

"Fans are half the product and when goals get ruled out in hindsight it is killing the spectacle.

"Embrace human refereeing and its flaws - it's better than scoring a goal, the stadium erupting, then the goal being cancelled for a toe offside.

"Football is theatre, not a science."

Here are a selection of your views:

Sam, Sheffield United fan: The use of VAR in the Championship play-off final last season was a sporting tragedy beyond comprehension.

It took away a piece of football's soul and the integrity of the entire Championship competition.

Gone was that joyous shared spontaneity of celebrating a goal at Wembley with family and friends, celebrations that mean more on that occasion than at any other game.

The EFL got it wrong by having VAR in a one off all-important game that day and they need to steer well clear of introducing it to the regular season so that fans can actually continue to enjoy the product on offer.

Sam, Coventry fan: It's the one thing I'm dreading for next season assuming we don't throw away promotion from the position we're in.

Already experienced heartache because of VAR when we were denied arguably the most famous FA Cup comeback victory of all time by a dodgy offside call against Man United in 2024.

I don't expect us to last long in the Premier League if we get there and when we do eventually come back down, I will look forward to not having five-minute waits for a marginal decision sucking all emotion out of the game.

Ray, Ipswich fan: VAR is unnecessarily invasive and does far more than was initially intended.

However, due to the inexperience and lack of quality in the Championship referees and the totally unacceptable performances of the officials at recent Ipswich Town matches, VAR must be introduced as soon as possible, but with the caveat of being used as was originally intended, for the resolution of penalty incidents.

Steve, Millwall fan: If you had asked this before 14 March, I would have said no, but the refereeing at Millwall-Blackburn was so bad it makes me think it is needed.

I wouldn't take the Premier League version, but I would like a watered down version, where a club has three challenges each. This would be just for goals, penalties and red cards including second yellow and off the ball incidents.

James, Middlesbrough fan: Given the fine margins that teams can be promoted on, we must have VAR in the Championship. Middlesbrough were promoted only on goal difference back in 2016.

The idea that a team misses out on a £180m prize of promotion because a referee made a stupid but honest mistake is a distinct reality.

And nothing says we can't improve/speed up VAR in the meantime. Remember that it tends to get more decisions right than non-VAR games.

Ryan, Southampton fan: Having been relegated with Saints and VAR delaying games, goals and celebrations, it is so much more enjoyable being back in Championship where you just take the game and decisions at the time.

You probably get some bad ones and good ones but to be honest I don't even notice. I would rather that than it being done by "VAR" and still being wrong and causing more issues than it resolves.

Introducing VAR in the Championship is perhaps as complex as the discussion around how it is already used in the Premier League.

It presents a whole host of practicality hurdles to overcome, including upgrading all 24 stadiums in the second tier with the relevant cameras and technology, PGMOL widening its pool of officials to cover the demand and the financial implications on clubs of doing all of the above.

The EFL says the introduction of further technology is a topic that remains under constant review and has been discussed directly with all clubs.

Part of those discussions is the International Football Association Board's (Ifab) system of Football Video Support (FVS), which allows coaches to make two challenges per match and is already being trialled in Italy, Malta and Spain.

Other factors are also being considered, including the potential impact on the number of correct decisions, infrastructure requirements, the impact on match-going supporters and broadcasters.

Ultimately, any additional use of technology in the Championship would require approval from a majority of the clubs in the league.