VAR: A Global Survey of Football Leagues
Introduction
The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system has been a controversial topic in the world of football since its introduction. Now, a survey conducted by the World Leagues Forum (WLF) has revealed that the majority of global leagues are in favor of allowing dialogue between referees and VAR to be aired by broadcasters. This survey comes after almost two-thirds of supporters said they oppose the use of VAR in English football.
Background on VAR
The International Football Association Board (IFAB) is the lawmaking body for football and currently does not allow the two-way audio feed to be heard by television audiences. In 2017, prior to VAR’s introduction, a survey by the Football Supporters’ Association found that 74.6% of fans favoured the use of video referees to support on-field officials with game-changing decisions.
Survey Results
The WLF survey included 41 professional football league bodies, including France’s LFP, Germany’s Bundesliga, Italy’s Serie A and Spain’s LaLiga. Of the leagues surveyed, 25 said they were in favor of airing the dialogue between referees and VAR.
Reaction from Fans
The results of the survey come after a survey of fans in England found that 63.3% were against VAR with 79.1% of match-goers rating their experience of VAR as poor or very poor.
Conclusion
It remains to be seen whether the IFAB will change its stance on allowing the two-way audio feed to be heard by television audiences. However, the results of the WLF survey suggest that the majority of global leagues are in favor of such a move.