Wolverhampton calls for “getting rid of the controversial VAR”… EPL to vote next month
English professional soccer team Wolverhampton requested the Premier League (EPL) to abolish video assistant referee (VAR),
and the issue will be put to a vote at the league general meeting next month.
According to local media such as the BBC on the 16th (Korean time),
Wolverhampton officially submitted a resolution to the league requesting the abolition of VAR ahead of the annual general meeting of 20 EPL clubs on the 6th of next month.
Wolverhampton said, “VAR was introduced with ‘good intentions’,
but it resulted in numerous unintended negative consequences that damaged the relationship between fans and football and undermined the EPL’s brand value.” 카지노사이트
“Our position is that the price we pay for a slight increase in accuracy goes against the spirit of our game and,
as a result, we must do away with VAR from the 2024-2025 season.”
Wolverhampton also emphasized, “The decision to table the resolution was made after careful consideration and is based on the utmost respect for the EPL, PGMOL and fellow teams.”
EPL clubs will vote on this at the general meeting, and in order to change the rules, at least 14 out of 20 clubs must agree.
VAR has been used in the EPL since the 2019-2020 season.
According to EPL statistics cited by the BBC, there was a positive effect,
with decision accuracy increasing from 82% before the introduction of VAR to 96%, but controversy continued.
Problems such as erroneous refereeing even after VAR verification or game delays due to checking the screen have been consistently pointed out as problems.
Wolverhampton, which called for its abolition, has recently experienced problems with VAR.
In the 32nd round of the EPL against West Ham,
they were behind 1-2 and seemed to be balanced by Maximilian Kilman’s goal in extra time in the second half,
but the score was canceled when VAR pointed out an offside in the previous situation.
Coach Gary O’Neill, dissatisfied with this, went to the referee’s locker room and behaved harshly, resulting in a suspension.
While attention is focused on the decision of the EPL general meeting, some point out that abolishing VAR,
which has already become a routine in world soccer, including the World Cup,
all at once because it is ‘controversial’ is going against the trend of the times,
and some predict that it will be difficult to lead to actual abolition.