According to a VAR survey, 40 per cent of fans likely to turn away from live football

According to a Football Supporters Association (FSA) poll, more than 40% of supporters will refrain from watching live football due to the influence of VAR.

The Football Supporters Association polled almost 33,000 fans. PA CREDIT According to a dismal assessment of the effects of technology on the game, nearly half of Premier League match-going fans claim they will attend fewer events as a result of Video Assistant Referees.

In the largest VAR poll of its kind, 95% of all supporters believed it made watching football less pleasurable. Fans were most concerned about the loss of the spontaneous excitement of goal celebrations, as well as the impact of delays, with 86% of TV viewers and 91% of match-goers stating that decisions were typically not settled in an acceptable amount of time.

39 percent of those polled who had been Premier League season ticket holders before the COVID-19 stadium shutdown said they were likely to attend fewer games in the future as a result of VAR, while 44 percent of all regular supporters attend matches said they would attend fewer.

However, statistics show that there were 129 VAR reviews in the previous season (an average of one per 2.9 games), with a referee spending an average of 26 seconds at the screen for a VAR judgment.

According to the report, overall decision accuracy has increased from 85% prior to VAR to 97% with VAR.

FSA vice-chair Tom Greatrex said:

“There is a clear feeling among fans that VAR has ruined the spontaneity of goal celebrations, and taken away a big part of our most enjoyable matchday moments.”

“With four in 10 fans saying that VAR is likely to lead them to attend fewer matches in the future, we hope that the Premier League and referees’ body PGMOL will hear the fans’ voice and take urgent steps to improve a system that isn’t delivering clear and understandable decisions in stadiums.”

What are your views on VAR? Is it ruining football or making the decisions more accurate?

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