Almost two-thirds of supporters oppose VAR use in English football, says new survey

Almost two-thirds of supporters oppose VAR use in English football, says new survey

Almost two-thirds of supporters have said they oppose the use of the video assistant referee (VAR) system in English football.

A fans’ survey published on Wednesday found that 63.3% were against VAR, with 79.1% of match-goers rating their experience of VAR as poor or very poor.

That contrasts with a 2017 survey by the Football Supporters’ Association – prior to VAR’s introduction – which found 74.6% of fans favoured the use of video referees to support on-field officials with game-changing decisions.

The National Supporters Survey was commissioned by the FSA and covered 9,645 fans, running online in March and April.

Almost 92% of those surveyed said that decisions are taking too long to make, while only 26.8% said they were absolutely or somewhat in favour of VAR.

Just 5.5% of match-goers rating their experience of VAR as good or very good and 65.4% of TV viewers saying their experience was poor or very poor.

The survey also reported that 80% of fans feel they should be able to hear discussions between the VAR and the on-pitch referee.

The application of VAR technology has been questioned and criticised by managers, players and pundits throughout the Premier League season.

Speaking in May, referees’ chief Howard Webb said that releasing audio of VAR decisions is a “small step forward” in providing clarity around incidents.

In a bid to improve transparency, Webb appeared on Sky Sports to talk through how key decisions were reached, alongside pundits Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville.

In-game audio was released by Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) from six matches this season, with supporters able to hear the discussions before Webb offered further insight.