Premier League Predicts 100 More Incorrect Decisions if VAR is Scrapped

The Premier League has asserted that the scrapping of the video assistant referees (VAR) could lead to an estimated additional 100 incorrect refereeing decisions per season. This announcement follows the proposal submitted by Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (Wolves) to cease the use of VAR.

Clubs received a 'VAR Improvement Plan' from chief football officer Tony Scholes, highlighting that erroneous "match-defining" on-field decisions would prevail without VAR's correction ability. Besides improved decision-making, the report stressed, there would be prominent game delays and about 100 more officiating errors per season, potentially influencing critical matches.

On the contrary, the Premier League recognized VAR issues, particularly the decision-making lag—increasing from 40 seconds in the 2022-23 season to 64 seconds in the 2023-24 season. One proposed improvement involves in-game VAR announcements, a feature FIFA employed recently.

Whilst scrapping VAR can affect Premier League's reputation, hurting possibilities of English referees' representation at UEFA or FIFA tournaments, some clubs have demanded improvements rather than elimination. Clubs like Manchester City, Arsenal, Tottenham, and Liverpool are not on board with ending VAR.

However, Wolves remain persistent, highlighting VAR's negative impact on fans' match experience and asserting that "the cost in terms of match enjoyment and fan engagement outweighs [VAR's] benefits." They claim the game's integrity is compromised by lengthy interruptions and inconsistent application of VAR protocols despite the accuracy in decision making increasing from 82% to 96%.