Wolves have presented a move to end the use of VAR in the Premier League beginning with the 2024-25 season, with a vote scheduled for early June. Wolves chairman Jeff Shi has warned that if the club’s bid to suspend the use of Video Assistant Referees (VAR) is rejected, the Premier League will suffer long-term consequences.
On Wednesday, the Wolves submitted a motion proposing that VAR be removed from the league beginning with the 2024-25 season. This recommendation follows a series of glaring blunders made by officials using the technology this season.
Earlier in the campaign, Wolves manager Gary O’Neill received an apology from Jon Moss, the referees’ officer for the PGMOL. Several management have expressed their views on the plans.
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino acknowledged a wish to “improve the way we use” VAR, while colleagues at Manchester United, Erik ten Hag, and Newcastle, Eddie Howe, suggested that the system would remain.
Express Premium Banner. A vote is expected to take place in early June. For Wolves’ proposal to be successful, 14 of the Premier League’s 20 clubs must support it. Shi, writing in The Telegraph, has given a warning to the Midlands outfit’s competitors.
Shi writes: “The Premier League’s match-going fans are becoming increasingly disengaged as a result of VAR’s negative impact on our match experience, which is also leading to apathy and hostility in the stands and on social media, negative and damaging rhetoric from pundits, players, and managers, and a destructive erosion of trust in football’s authorities and officials.
“All of this is detrimental to the Premier League’s brand and reputation, and if we don’t halt it now, the damage may become irrevocable.”
He stated that the current version of VAR in English football “isn’t compatible with a sport of highly subjective laws” and that without more involvement, the Premier League’s standing will suffer even more. “We should act now to remove it and regain the essence of what makes the Premier League and English football such a captivating phenomenon,” he stated.
Despite admitting the unanimous vote that established VAR, Shi rejected the notion that its removal would represent a “admission of failure”. Instead, he urged club officials to listen to supporters’ concerns while voting on VAR’s elimination.
He urged clubs to “act decisively” and suggested that supporting the motion proposed by his club could help protect the Premier League’s “passion, spontaneity, and authenticity”.
According to an ESPN-compiled VAR table, Wolves have been the most affected by the technology in the Premier League. The report looks at how overturned VAR judgments have impacted point totals, with Wolves losing six points as a result of these calls.
“The Premier League can confirm that it will facilitate a discussion on VAR with our clubs at the annual general meeting next month,” a league spokeswoman stated in response to Wolves’ demand.
“Clubs are free to make suggestions at shareholder meetings, and we understand the concerns and challenges surrounding the usage of VAR. However, the league firmly supports the use of VAR and is dedicated, along with PGMOL, to continuing to develop the system for the benefit of the game and spectators.”
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