[Saba Sports News] According to British media reports, three-quarters of Premier League fans want to see the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) abolished, while 90 percent of fans believe the introduction of VAR has worsened the football viewing experience. These findings come from a new survey conducted by the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA), the representative body for fans in England and Wales, and the results should be a cause for concern for global football lawmakers. Five years ago, the association’s first survey on the issue already highlighted widespread fan dissatisfaction with the introduction of VAR. The latest questionnaire shows that fan opposition to VAR has not only remained unchanged but has grown even stronger. In 2021, 74 percent of FSA members opposed VAR; that figure has now risen to 76 percent, with this survey targeted exclusively at Premier League fans. Respondents clearly voiced their discontent with VAR across key areas, including their overall experience of the system, their support for existing review decisions, and their views on expanding the use of VAR.
The editor believes that the survey results confirm the association’s findings from 2021, when fans already expressed doubts over the introduction of VAR. Five years on, the vast majority of fans still share the same concerns: goal celebrations have lost their spontaneity, and the overall matchday experience continues to decline.