Premier League clubs have voted in favour of keeping VAR, with Wolves understood to have been the only club to back its removal.
Wolves sparked controversy among Premier League clubs last month when they announced that they intended to lodge a motion at Thursday’s end-of-season Annual General Meeting (AGM) proposing to scrap VAR, saying “the price we are paying for a small increase in accuracy is at odds with the spirit of our game, and as a result we should remove it from the 2024/25 season onwards.”
But Wolves are understood to have been the only club that supported scrapping VAR. 14 clubs would have needed to back the motion for it to pass.
Most clubs in the league are believed to accept that video-assistant refereeing is far from perfect but can be improved and should therefore be retained and honed.
A Premier League statement on Thursday afternoon following the AGM read: “Premier League clubs today voted in favour of continuing to operate VAR in the Premier League.
“While VAR produces more accurate decision-making, it was agreed that improvements should be made for the benefit of the game and supporters.
“As part of thorough discussions at the Annual General Meeting, it was agreed that PGMOL, the Premier League and clubs all have important roles to play in improving the system and its reputation.”
Meanwhile, Aston Villa’s proposal to allow losses of up to £105million per year to be increased to £135m per year, in accordance with profit and sustainability regulations (PSR), has reportedly failed.
The Telegraph report that the motion gained support from only two clubs, with three abstaining and 15 voting against that change.
The Premier League revealed discussions with clubs on VAR focused — and will continue to focus on — six key areas.
These include maintaining a “high threshold” for incidents of VAR intervention, reducing delays partly through the “introduction of semi-automated offside technology”.
They will also work on “improving fan experience” through reducing delays, in-stadium announcements from referees post-decision change “where possible” and offering fans “big-screen replays”.
The phenomenon of referees explaining through stadium announcements their decision changes was introduced during the 2023 Women’s World Cup and largely welcomed.
The Premier League’s statement also revealed that VAR improvements will include “more robust VAR training” alongside the PGMOL, better communication and transparency around VAR decisions, and finally the delivery of a “fan and stakeholder VAR communication campaign, which will seek to further clarify VAR’s role in the game to participants and supporters.”
Clubs initially voted against the introduction of semi-automated offside technology — which had worked well at the 2022 men’s World Cup in Qatar — but it was confirmed in April that it will finally be introduced to the Premier League from next season.
Wolves said in a statement: “While we are disappointed with the outcome of the vote on the future of VAR at today's annual general meeting, we acknowledge and accept the decision made by our fellow clubs and we are reassured that the Premier League is taking the concerns of clubs and supporters seriously.
"We welcome the commitment to improve VAR, particularly in areas that address delays, consistency, and fan experience.
"While we still believe that Premier League football would be superior without VAR, we think that these improvements are crucial for the integrity of the game and for enhancing the overall matchday experience for our supporters.
"Wolves remain committed to working closely with the Premier League and PGMOL to ensure that VAR continues to evolve and better serve the interests of football.
“We appreciate the efforts being made to address the issues that have been highlighted and look forward to seeing these positive changes implemented."
