Liverpool have been affected more than most ever since VAR was introduced to the Premier League in 2021.
On top of all of the ‘little’ decisions that have gone against the Reds over that time, they’ve also been on the wrong end of some biggies.
The debacle surrounding Luis Diaz’s disallowed goal against Tottenham in September is arguably the nadir of VAR’s existence in English football.
On the back of that call alone, few could blame Liverpool for wanting to get rid of the technology.
And with that very topic put to a vote on Thursday after Wolves raised the topic with the Premier League, the Reds had their chance.
Liverpool cast their vote in VAR decision
As football continues to evolve, there are always going to be new things that take a while to come to terms with.
But few changes have had quite the impact – or invoked such a strong reaction – as the introduction of VAR.
If you ask fans and even plenty of players, they’re no fans of the Video Assistant Referee.
From a Liverpool point of view, studies have shown that the Reds were hit with four errors from the technology this season alone.
READ MORE: The 8 worst Liverpool VAR decisions of all time in the Premier League
When the margins are razor thin, that can be the difference between winning a Premier League title and just coming up short.
So, with all of that in mind, Liverpool had their chance to back Wolves and revoke VAR’s remit for ruining football’s best moments.
Perhaps surprisingly though, as per journalist John Percy on X, the club to bring the motion were the only ones to back it. Only Wolves stuck to their guns. Everyone else, including Liverpool, opted for the status quo to remain.
“Wolves 1 Other Premier League clubs 19. That was the vote from today’s AGM to discuss whether to scrap VAR for next season,” says Percy. “Wolves understood to be happy with the discussion and pleased it was out in the open.”
Liverpool choose to continue with VAR
This will perhaps receive a negative reaction from supporters, but it does feel like the right decision.
With only Wolves voting for their own motion, you can see that the rest of the league are united behind keeping the technology.
It has often been said, but it still remains true, that the technology is not the problem here. Rather it is the people in charge of using it.
As long as the debate is open and the need to improve the standard of officiating is clear, then that can only be a good thing.
Hopefully the Premier League can take everything said in the meeting on board and ensure that the referees tasked with using VAR are simply better trained in its intricacies.
There will be mistakes ahead for sure, but the answer is not to step backwards.