Supporters from a range of SPFL clubs have voted overwhelmingly against the system
Scottish football fans have largely voted against VAR, claiming that it regularly ruins their sports experience. Hearts, Hibs, Celtic, Rangers, and other club supporters voiced their opinions in the Scottish Football Supporters Association’s current survey.
A whopping 86% of voters said VAR – the Video Assistant Referee system that monitors important incidents during matches – is decreasing their pleasure of football. Only 4% of the 2,710 persons polled agreed that VAR has improved their stadium experience.
Since its implementation in Scotland a year ago, a number of contentious judgements and reviews have thrown VAR into the spotlight. Supporters are unimpressed with its impact, and many would like to return to past ways in which a referee’s on-field judgement was final and unaffected by video replays.
In total, 95 percent of fans believe the time delays associated with VAR decisions are excessive, 66% would rather tolerate incorrect decisions than have the flow of the game disrupted by VAR, 92% want goal-line technology introduced in Scotland, and 70% believe match officials are now relying on var to make decisions for them.
Furthermore, 85 per cent of voters feel refereeing performances have worsened since the introduction of VAR (an increase of 11 per cent from the previous SFSA survey last year). It was also made clear by 66 per cent of fans that they would rather tolerate more incorrect decisions than continue with the disruption to matches caused by VAR (an increase of 10 per cent).
The SFSA has more than 72,000 members and asked a number of additional questions in this year’s survey, which returned some telling answers. It revealed that 80 per cent of fans do not like the way assistant referees no longer flag immediately for offside, 74 per cent want the handball law to revert to ‘only for deliberate handball’, 63 per cent believe fully-automated offside would be a significant improvement, and 56 per cent would scrap VAR altogether.
Only 16% of those polled want VAR should be expanded to cover more than the immediate period of play in the interests of fairness.
The findings provide a clear picture of supporters’ reactions to changes in how football games are officiated, as well as the level of displeasure generated.
The decision was conveyed by Alastair Blair, an SFSA board advisor. “The results from this survey demonstrate clearly that Scottish football fans are not happy with the impact VAR has had on the game in the year since it was first introduced,” he added.
“In my opinion, VAR saps the fun out of the game.” Supporters pay to be lost in the instant a goal is scored, but it is no longer viable since the introduction of VAR. The most striking fact, in my opinion, is that two-thirds of fans would rather endure errors without VAR than put up with the disruptions that VAR inserts into the game.
“It is never a good idea for any industry to ignore the views of its customers so let’s see if the relevant authorities are prepared to listen to the overwhelmingly negative views of fans about VAR that this survey has clearly shown.”
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