Premier League clubs will vote on whether to eliminate video assistant referees (VAR) for the next season at their annual general meeting next month.
Wolves have officially submitted a resolution to the Premier League, prompting a vote when the 20 member clubs convene in Harrogate on June 6.
The club stated that VAR was introduced “in good faith” but has resulted in “numerous unintended negative consequences that are damaging the relationship between fans and football.”
Introduced in 2019 to assist on-field officials with crucial match decisions, VAR has been at the center of several controversial incidents this season.
“The price we are paying for a small increase in accuracy is at odds with the spirit of our game,” read a Wolves statement.
The Premier League stated it “acknowledged the concerns” regarding VAR but “fully supports” the technology and will continue collaborating with the referees’ body, PGMOL, to make improvements.
Any rule changes require a two-thirds majority, meaning 14 out of the 20 clubs must vote in favor.
Premier League clubs have already approved the introduction of semi-automated offside technology for the 2024-25 season.
VAR criticised after controversies
Several Premier League managers, including Wolves boss Gary O’Neil, have criticized VAR and refereeing standards this season.
O’Neil received a one-match touchline ban in April for his conduct near the referee’s room after a game against West Ham, where Wolves had a late equalizer disallowed following a VAR check.
Wolves chairman Jeff Shi also criticized VAR after the West Ham game, stating the club would be higher in the standings “if it wasn’t for a number of incorrect or contentious decisions.”
Nottingham Forest issued a highly critical statement on social media questioning the VAR official after three penalty appeals were rejected in a 2-0 defeat at Everton last month. An independent Key Match Incident Panel later ruled that Forest should have been awarded one penalty from their three appeals.
One of the most high-profile VAR errors occurred in October when Luis Diaz’s goal for Liverpool against Tottenham was incorrectly disallowed for offside. The Premier League stated that the incident highlighted “systemic weaknesses in the VAR process” and that “key learnings and immediate actions” were taken.
In February, the league’s chief football officer, Tony Scholes, noted that while VAR had increased the number of correct decisions, those decisions were taking too long and provided a poor in-stadium experience.
To improve transparency, referee’s chief Howard Webb regularly discusses notable recent VAR incidents, including audio between on-field officials and the VAR team, on the TV program Match Officials Mic’d Up live.
Last month, Sweden became the only elite league in UEFA’s top 30 to reject VAR.