Premier League clubs are unlikely to approve Wolves’ proposal to eliminate the video assistant referee (VAR) when they convene at their annual general meeting on Thursday, June 6. However, in-game VAR announcements are expected to be introduced.
Wolves formally submitted a resolution to the Premier League in May, prompting a vote on the continued use of VAR. Despite Wolves’ insistence on raising the issue after a series of unfavorable decisions last season, the club is unlikely to secure the 14 votes needed for their proposal to pass.
BBC Sport reports that Manchester City, Arsenal, and Tottenham are among the clubs that support retaining VAR but are calling for improvements. Another Premier League club has expressed that the current VAR system “isn’t working” and has acknowledged “clear issues” with it.
Although Wolves’ proposal is likely to be rejected, most clubs agree that significant changes are necessary. Howard Webb, head of the refereeing body PGMOL, has indicated that changes to VAR are under consideration. One anticipated change is the introduction of in-game VAR announcements by referees, which the Premier League plans to trial next season.
FIFA introduced these trials at several competitions last year and has decided to extend them following positive feedback.
Although the match referee will only confirm decisions after they are made and discussions with the VAR will not be audible, the Premier League views this concept as a step forward.
This aligns with the push for greater transparency from Howard Webb, who defended the standard of refereeing in April.
The Premier League is confident that introducing semi-automated offsides in the autumn, after the 2024-25 season starts, will help speed up decisions. However, the time taken to award Olympiakos’ winning goal in the UEFA Conference League last week highlighted that not all decisions are reached quickly with the system.
It is understood that Webb and the Premier League would like to implement further changes but are limited by current regulations set by the game’s lawmaking body, the International Football Association Board.
VAR debate ‘essential’ – Fan group
Malcolm Clarke, chair of the Football Supporters Association, told BBC Sport the majority of their members are now opposed to VAR.
“The support for the introduction of VAR originally has collapsed and 80% of fans now say the experience is poor or very poor, so we cannot go on with this as we are,” he said.
Clarke said there should be a “national debate” on the use of VAR and asked the Premier League to be open to discussion.
“Most of our members think the price of spoiling the match experience is not a price worth paying for a small increase in accurate decisions,” he said.
“It’s good Wolves have tabled this, it has been a catalyst for a real debate and whatever happens it’s essential that debate continues.”
Football finances in the spotlight
It is also understood that there is unlikely to be a vote on Thursday regarding new financial rules, which aim to link squad costs to the broadcast income received by the league’s lowest-earning clubs.
While there was hope in April that a concrete proposal could be presented at the annual meeting, the timeframe was always considered tight.
Thursday’s meeting in Harrogate follows Manchester City’s legal challenge against the Premier League over its commercial rules.
BBC Sport understands that an arbitration hearing on the legality of the league’s associated party transaction (APT) rules, which assess whether sponsorship deals are financially fair, is set for June 10-21.
City’s legal battle could have long-term implications for the Premier League’s financial regulations, but the current Profit and Sustainability Rules are expected to remain in place for next season.
Instead of voting on new regulations this summer and running them in shadow form next season, the league plans to evaluate the new rules during the 2024-25 campaign, ironing out any issues with the Professional Footballers’ Association to ensure they are economically and legally sound before adoption.
It is unclear how this will impact ‘New Deal’ discussions on funding with the Football League, which the Premier League paused earlier this year to address its own financial regulations.
It was anticipated that the Football Governance Bill, which includes the introduction of a football regulator, would pass this year. However, the General Election means the issue of a regulator will need to be revisited.