Over 75% of fans do not support VAR in Premier League, says FSA survey

Premier League says VAR improves accuracy and is less disruptive than in Europe

More than 75 percent of Premier League fans do not support the continued use of Video Assistant Referees (VAR), a survey by a football supporters group showed.

The survey was conducted online between Feb 26 and Mar 23 and saw almost 8,000 fans of top-flight clubs participate, the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) said.

The results showed that 75.7 percent did not support the use of VAR in football, with 91.7 percent saying VAR had removed the spontaneous joy of goal celebrations.

“These findings back up the FSA’s previous survey in 2021, where fans expressed misgivings about the introduction of VAR," FSA’s Premier League network manager Thomas Concannon said.

The FSA had shared the survey results with the Premier League and referees' body PGMOL and looked forward to discussing the findings, he added.

In response, the Premier League said VAR had led to more accurate outcomes while remaining less disruptive than in other European competitions.

"In recent seasons, there have been around 100 correct VAR overturns per season – instances where goals would otherwise have been incorrectly awarded or disallowed, or red cards or penalties missed or wrongly given," a Premier League spokesperson said in a statement.

"The league applies a high threshold for VAR intervention, with the referee’s call taking precedence. As a result, VAR is less intrusive in the Premier League than in other European leagues, including the Champions League, where VAR intervenes almost twice as often."

It added that refining the use of VAR remained a key focus for both the league and PGMOL, and that it would continue to engage with stakeholders as part of its efforts to improvement the system.

"As part of ongoing dialogue with supporters, Premier League research indicates fans are largely in favour of keeping VAR, but improving the way it is used,” it said.