Premier League club’s are set to hold a vote at next months Annual General Meeting on whether to scrap VAR.
Since VAR’s inception in England’s top tier in 2019 it has caused countless controversies in the Premier League, with the fan in the stadium still not involved in the process five years later.
There are numerous debates around whether the technology itself is the problem or the ability of the officials in England to use it correctly and in a timely manner.
The laws themselves make things difficult, too, as they constantly seem to change with different thresholds for decisions such as handball meaning fans and players find it difficult to keep up.
From next season the semi-automated offside technology seen on the Champions League is due to be used in the Premier League, but Wolves have proposed a complete scrapping of the use of VAR to be voted on next month.
Aston Villa will of course be one of the club’s voting and the latest VAR figures reported by The Telegraph may have a huge bearing on their decision.
Aston Villa biggest beneficiaries of VAR in Premier League
The Telegraph have issued a report on how the use of VAR has impacted each Premier League side this season.
This shows that Wolves have had the least amount of decisions go their way once VAR has intervened, with just one call favouring Gary O’Neil’s side.
On this basis, it is no surprise that the Molineux club are the ones pushing the agenda to their fellow Premier League clubs.
Villa, on the other hand, have had more decisions go their way due to VAR than anyone else this season with 11.
As demonstrated in The Telegraph’s report, this means that Unai Emery‘s side have a net positive of four goals as a result of VAR interventions, second only to Fulham’s five.
With Villa securing Champions League this season, those four goals could have made all the difference and this could mean they are persuaded to vote against the scrapping of the technology.
Unai Emery gave his view on VAR in December
Decisions being considered to be right or wrong are obviously the biggest talking points surrounding VAR.
However, the biggest criticism generally is the length of time it takes for a decision to be made, coupled with the feeling that games are being re-refereed by VAR rather than it acting as a tool to lean on if required.
Villa boss Emery spoke on the use of the technology following his side’s 1-1 draw with Sheffield United in December after he saw Leon Bailey’s late goal ruled out and there were six VAR interventions during the game.
The Spaniard said at the time: “There was too much VAR tonight. I accept VAR but it was too much. For the goal, it was not necessary. Normally, we can accept this goal.”
It seems Emery’s views reflect that of the majority of football fans who accept the benefits VAR can bring but feel the process needs to be streamlined and improvements made.
Fans and clubs alike will be hoping to see improvements made ahead of the 2024/25 season, or even possibly VAR removed altogether.
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