Vexing, Annoying Rulings: How VAR Is Breaking the Premier League

Yahoo

21-04-2025

When the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system was introduced to the English Premier League (EPL) for the 2019/20 season, it promised to bring clarity and fairness to a game often marred by human error, when it was hoped it would eradicate clear and obvious errors. VAR technology was supposed settle disputes over goals, penalties, red cards, and mistaken identities with precision. Five years on, however, VAR has become a lightning rod for controversy, leaving fans, players, and pundits questioning whether it's done more harm than good.
The EPL's adoption of VAR was meant to mirror its success in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where it corrected 99.35% of decisions, according to FIFA. Yet, in England, the system has struggled to deliver. A 2020 study by the Technical University of Munich found that 76.24% of tweets about VAR during EPL matches were negative, reflecting a sharp dip in fan sentiment that lasted up to 20 minutes after incidents. Fans at stadiums, often left in the dark without replays, now feel disconnected, as lengthy reviews disrupt the game's flow.
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Controversies have continued to pile up. In November 2020, Leeds United's Patrick Bamford had a goal disallowed against Crystal Palace for an offside call dubbed 'armpit offside,' where his pointing arm was deemed to break the line. Bamford's frustration echoed fans' sentiments: 'It's ruining football.' The EPL responded by tweaking offside protocols, introducing thicker lines for marginal calls in the 2021/22 season, but complaints persisted. In September 2023, a miscommunication between VAR officials wrongly disallowed a Liverpool goal against Tottenham, prompting an apology from Professional Game Match Official Chief, Howard Webb. The league introduced 'Match Officials Mic'd Up,' a TV show to explain VAR decisions, but it's done little to quell distrust. Most recently, in November 2024, referee David Coote's suspension after a viral video showed him disparaging Liverpool highlighted ongoing tensions around VAR's human element.
VAR Control RoomGetty Images
Has VAR improved the EPL? I'd argue a big no! While the Premier League claims decision accuracy has risen from 82% to 96%, the cost has been steep. The game's spontaneity, its raw, emotional core, has been eroded by pedantic rulings and delays. A 2020 YouGov poll found 67% of regular EPL viewers said matches were less enjoyable post-VAR. The introduction of semi-automated offside technology for the 2024/25 season aims to speed up decisions, but it is a bandage on a deeper wound: VAR's obsession with perfection clashes with football's imperfect charm.
The EPL's handling of VAR and the resultant controversies, through apologies, rule tweaks, and transparency efforts, feels a lot reactive and not a lot transformative. Fans want a system that respects the game's spirit, not one that dissects it frame by frame. Until then, VAR remains a noble idea that's failed to win hearts.