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Wolves have caused intense concern in almost all teams of the Premier League. The English team has submitted a proposal to abolish VAR. A proposal which will also be discussed at the general meeting of the shareholders of the Premier League teams on June 6. There the major shareholders and presidents of the groups will be invited to vote for or against the technology.
Most Premier League clubs want to keep the technology, but that doesn't mean they're completely happy with it.
The "wolves" in their proposal toal to the organizing authority state that VAR created more problems than solutions. While other clubs have expressed their reservations or objections from time to time.
However, the leadership of the Premier league is reportedly strongly opposed, as it believes that the abolition of VAR will undermine the reputation of the league. However, he cannot do anything, since it is the right of any club to propose anything.
For the change to pass, 2/3 of the remaining teams, i.e. 14 out of 20 clubs, must vote positively...
Wolves' statement:
“Wolves have formally submitted a request to the Premier League to trigger a vote at the league's AGM in June on the abolition of VAR from the start of the 2024/25 season. The introduction of VAR in 2019/20 was a decision taken in good faith and in the best interests of football and the Premier League. However, it has led to numerous unintended negative consequences, damaging the relationship between fans and football and undermining the Premier League's brand value, which include:
• Impact on goal celebrations and the spontaneous passion that makes football special.
• Frustration and confusion within stadiums due to time-consuming VAR checks and poor communication.
• More hostile atmosphere with protests, chanting of the Premier League anthem and chants against VAR.
• Exceeding VAR's original purpose of correcting clear and obvious errors, now overanalyzing subjective decisions and jeopardizing the fluidity and integrity of the game.
• Reduced accountability of officials on the pitch due to the safety net of VAR, leading to an erosion of authority on the pitch.
• Mistakes continue despite VAR, with supporters unable to accept human error after multiple viewings and replays, damaging confidence in refereeing standards.
• Disrupting the fast pace of the Premier League with lengthy VAR checks and more time, causing matches to take too long.
• The ongoing debate over VAR decisions often overshadows the match itself and tarnishes the league's reputation.
• Corrosion of trust and reputation, with VAR fueling completely frivolous allegations of corruption.
The decision to lodge the request came after careful consideration and with the utmost respect for the Premier League, PGMOL and our fellow competitors. There is no accountability – we are all just looking for the best possible outcome for football – and everyone involved has worked hard to try and make the introduction of additional technology a success.
However, after five seasons of VAR in the Premier League, it is time for a constructive and critical discussion about its future. Our position is that the price we pay for a small increase in accuracy goes against the spirit of our game and therefore we should remove it from the 2024/25 season onwards."
Meanwhile Howard Webb gave a presentation at the Premier League shareholders meeting on April 11 about the semi-automatic offside technology. The clubs voted unanimously for it to exist from next season. He faced some pretty strong questions about VAR and was questioned by the Wolves chairman.
The Premier League side recognize Wolves' right to table such a motion, but believe scrapping VAR would lead to many more wrong decisions. League statistics earlier this season showed that correct decisions had increased from 82 to 96% by VAR.
At the same time, league officials believe the proposal would have a serious impact on the Premier's reputation as one of the world's top football leagues.
Manos Staramopoulos
Journalist and Analyst of International Football and Affairs
Chief Editor English Zone of Discoveryfootball.com
Athens (Greece)