Summary

  • Join the debate as it's revealed that three-quarters of fans of Premier League clubs are against the use of the video assistant referee (VAR)

  • It's according to a survey by the Football Supporters Federation, with just under 8,000 fans taking part in the survey

  • Key results: 90% disagreed that technology has improved the matchday experience | 91% believe it's harmed goal celebrations | 94% disagree it makes watching it on TV more enjoyable | 72% disagree it makes referee decisions more accurate

  • What do you think? Get in touch and join the debate

Your views on VAR

What information do we collect from this quiz?

Live Reporting

Written by Craig Nelson, Ben Ramsdale and Sean Byrne.

  1. Get Involved - 'Rushing things contributes to mistakes'

    Click 'Get Involved' to have your say

    So many people saying there has to be a time limit on the VAR decision making, for me that is part of the issue as rushing things contributes to mistakes. If it takes time to get it right, then so be it.

    Steven

    The same people complaining about VAR will be complaining about marginal decisions next season.

    Brian

    The whole question is a red herring. The real issue is the attitude of privilege and entitlement bred in fans, coaches and players, for whom a bad decision is one that goes against their team. In other sports, discussions and decisions pass calmly and are accepted without fuss.

    Doug

  2. Referee and VAR errors increase in Premier League

    Dale Johnson
    Football issues correspondent

    Refereeing mistakes on the field and through the video assistant referee have risen across most categories in this season's Premier League.

    The Premier League's Key Match Incidents (KMI) panel declared another four errors by referees in its latest report, taking the total to 54.

    At the same stage last season there had been 44 wrong or missed VAR interventions, or on-field mistakes which did not reach the threshold for a video review.

    Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO) says the general trend is positive, with 70 mistakes after 30 games of the 2023-24 campaign.

    But there have already been as many VAR errors this season (18) as in the whole of the last campaign - although with a quarter of the season left, that figure is much lower than the overall total for 2022-23 (38) and 2023-34 (31).

    One area of improvement has been incorrect VAR reviews, which have fallen from four to three.

    However, season-on-season there have been more missed VAR interventions (15), on-field errors (25) and incorrect second yellow card decisions (11).

  3. Officiating getting worse because of VAR - Shearer

    Harry Maguire reacts after being sent offGetty Images

    Refereeing standards are "the worst we have seen for a long time" and "only getting worse" because of the use of the video assistant referee (VAR), says former Newcastle United and England striker Alan Shearer.

    "They [referees] are too reliant on it and it's affecting the standard of refereeing now, and it's not a good look," Shearer told BBC Radio 5 Live.

    Shearer's comments came after VAR's intervention in the 2-2 draw between Bournemouth and Manchester United on 20 March.

    United said they will make a formal complaint to referees' body Professional Game Match Officials Limited over what they feel was clear inconsistency in the decisions during the match at Vitality Stadium.

    Harry Maguire was sent off for pulling back Evanilson inside the box as United led 2-1 with 10 minutes to go.

    But that came just 10 minutes after Amad Diallo was denied a penalty for a similar incident at the other end, while United had also earlier been awarded a penalty for what United boss Michael Carrick deemed to be a comparable foul on Matheus Cunha.

    Carrick said it was the inconsistency that he found "baffling" and did not understand how the referee "can give one and not the other".

    Shearer agreed and said: "You should have given a penalty when you gave two like that. How on earth do you not give another one."

  4. A number of celebrated former footballers have waded into this debate and, guess what, not many of them have had anything positive to say.

    Here's Alan Shearer's take on it...

  5. Get Involved - Rules are problem, not VAR'

    Click 'Get Involved' to have your say

    VAR is not the problem; the rules it analyses are! The definitions of rules, such as offside and handball, should be redefined to make decision-making easier, human or computer, but put a time limit on VAR feedback.

    Graham

    If VAR was removed, we'd all start getting fed up of bad refereeing decisions very quickly. It needs tweaking for sure - if its not clear and obvious, the decision should stand. If lines need to be drawn, just stick with the ref's call. More flexibility needed!

    James

    VAR is fine if used as intended. Offside rule needs amending as VAR can only respond to current rules. All VAR interventions need a 60 second time limit otherwise not clear and obvious. VAR is the future it is the human intervention and rules surrounding it which needs attention.

    Francis

  6. Loads more VAR moments are heading your way, the majority of which highlight times when the technology sparked debate for negative reasons.

    We have been discussing in the office about whether that's a little unfair.

    There will have been times when VAR has stopped a miscarriage of footballing justice, but these are largely dismissed and forgotten about as the technology simply 'doing its job'.

    Feel free to get in touch if you can think of a moment you were glad that VAR existed...

  7. Get Involved - 'Lower-level football a miles better experience'

    Click 'Get Involved' to have your say

    Have stopped going to VAR games, lower-level football a miles better experience.

    Gordon in Scotland

    VAR has gone too far. It has ruined the game. It has also made referees become reliant on it, therefore the standard of refereeing is now appalling. It needs to go!

    Allan in Doncaster

    VAR is spoiling our game and I am dreading watching the upcoming World Cup where they are going to get more involved. I would rather accept that referees and linesmen are going to get one or two decisions wrong and enjoy the game like it used to be.

    James

    Goal celebrations compromised

  8. Huge VAR moments - Rodri handball

    The VAR screen at Goodison Park showing 'Decision no penalty. No handball by Rodrigo'Getty Images

    Everton boss Frank Lampard said his three-year-old daughter would have known his side should have had a penalty for handball in their 1-0 defeat by Manchester City in 2022.

    A loose ball hit Rodri's outstretched arm in the box in the dying minutes with City leading 1-0.

    Referee Paul Tierney did not give a penalty and the video assistant did not think it was an obvious error.

    "There is not a person who watches that... that can't see that's a penalty," Lampard told BBC Sport.

    "Something has to be done about that."

    The result saw City move six points clear at the top of the Premier League, while the Toffees sat just one point above the relegation zone.

    A few days later, Evertonreceived an apology from the head of the professional referees body Mike Riley for the incident.

  9. Clearly, the results of the poll - and thumbs - on this page would not stand up to scientific scrutiny, but early indications are that you are split, with 51% saying they do not support the use of VAR and a total of 49% saying they either support the use of VAR (10%) or support it if tweaks are made (39%).

    Let's have a look at some of VAR's key moments so far in the Premier League, to remind ourselves just why this topic makes many of us hot under the collar...

  10. Get Involved - 'Replace VAR referees with AI'

    Click 'Get Involved' to have your say

    VAR is more often right than wrong. It’s the humans trying to interpret what happened that is the problem. Replace them with AI and the result will be instantaneous.

    Ian in London

    VAR makes more decisions correctly than officials. It's worth the extra time to get the correct decision more times.

    Tom

  11. Poll: Do you support the use of VAR?

    So this live page has been running for about half an hour and we have had almost 250 messages from you guys already.

    We have a poll at the top of the page, so please tell us how you feel using that.

    Let's see those thumbs as well:

    Thumbs up - you support the use of VAR, if some improvements are made

    Thumbs down - you oppose the use of VAR and want it to be scrapped

  12. Get Involved - 'VAR spoiled game for the match-going fan'

    Click 'Get Involved' to have your say

    For the match-going fan VAR has spoiled the game. The fans didn't want it in the first place, you can't celebrate a goal because you know they are going to check for the smallest thing to disallow it.

    Josh in Wolverhampton

    Get rid. The referees will need re-training though.

    Dan in Leatherhead

    I fear for the use of VAR and the tech at the World Cup - could ruin it.

    Adrian

  13. Fans 'largely in favour of keeping VAR' - Premier League

    Premier League

    The Premier League responded to the FSA survey by citing the results of its own research, which it said showed fans were "largely in favour of keeping VAR".

    "We recognise the importance of minimising the impact of VAR on the supporter experience," said the Premier League.

    "As part of ongoing dialogue with supporters, Premier League research indicates fans are largely in favour of keeping VAR, but improving the way it is used."

  14. Arguments for VAR & use of technology

    So the FSA - and the supporters who responded to their survey - have laid our their case against the use of VAR.

    But what about the defence?

    The independent key match incident (KMI) review panel estimates there has been an accuracy rate of 96-97% for refereeing decisions made in Premier League matches since the introduction of VAR, while time delays caused by VAR have dropped by 25% in the past two seasons.

    This year an FA Cup tie between Aston Villa and Newcastle United, which did not have VAR, featured three significant refereeing errors, leading it to being labelled the best advert yet for the technology.

  15. VAR 'take away from what football is meant to be' - FSA

    VAR screen in a Premier League groundGetty Images

    Thomas Concannon, Premier League network manager for the Football Supporters Association, told BBC Sport that video assistant referees (VAR) "take away from what football is meant to be".

    "The results show that three out of four fans want VAR removed," he said.

    "We've all lived with VAR for so long now that we've seen the negative impact it's had on the game.

    "People are annoyed about the time that it takes, annoyed about the accuracy and annoyed about the [reduced] spontaneity.

    "It does take away from what football is meant to be and what those special moments are about."

  16. Get Involved - Your views on VAR and the FSA survey

    Click 'Get Involved' to have your say

    Stick with us as we look at some of the huge moments in recent Premier League history, where video assistant referees played a key role.

    We will also look the reaction to the FSA survey findings, including from the Premier League.

    As ever, we want to hear from you.

    Just get in touch using the 'Get Involved' button and we will publish a cross-section...

  17. VAR survey - 75% of fans oppose its use in Premier League

    Three out of four Premier League fans are against the use of video assistant referees (VAR), according to a new survey by the Football Supporters Association (FSA).

    Just under 8,000 fans responded to the survey, which asked supporters of the 20 sides in this season's top flight for their views on VAR.

    Here are the top lines from the survey:

    • 75% of fans who responded said they were against the use of VAR
    • 90% disagreed that the introduction of VAR in the Premier League has improved the matchday experience
    • 91% believe that VAR has harmed the spontaneity of goal celebrations
    • And a total of 94% disagreed that VAR makes watching football on television more enjoyable.

  18. Good morning

    It's the international break.

    Premier League football is taking a back seat, but that doesn't mean we can't talk about it, does it?

    The use of video assistant referees (VAR) is one hot topic that always sparks a debate.

    And the Football Supporters Association has re-opened that can of worms today with a survey of almost 8,000 fans of Premier League clubs.

    Results say that 75% of supporters oppose the use of VAR in the Premier League.

    So join us as we look into the survey findings in more detail...