VAR is putting fans off attending games, survey finds

More than 40 per cent of supporters involved in the survey said they are likely to attend fewer matches

Manasi Pathak
Wednesday 02 June 2021 11:27 BST
Comments
Referee Peter Bankes checks the VAR monitor as Aston Villa take on Manchester City
Referee Peter Bankes checks the VAR monitor as Aston Villa take on Manchester City (Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A study conducted by the Football Supporters Association (FSA) in England showed more than 40 per cent of fans are likely to attend fewer games due to concerns about the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system.

The survey, taken by 33,243 supporters, showed more than 94 per cent of the respondents felt VAR had made watching football “less enjoyable” citing issues such as the length of time taken to confirm decisions.

Fans also said VAR had ruined the spontaneity of goal celebrations.

Only 26 per cent supported the use of VAR, though 97 per cent voted in favour of goal-line technology, which provides near-instant results.

The FSA said the results of the survey will be shared with the Premier League.

“We hope that the Premier League and referees’ body will hear the fans’ voice and take urgent steps to improve a system that isn’t delivering clear and understandable decisions in stadiums,” said FSA vice-chair Tom Greatrex.

Reuters

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in