The Football Supporters’ Association has asked the public to give their opinions on VAR and how the future of video-assisted refereeing should look by completing a survey.
The Football Supporters’ Association have released a survey on VAR
The Organisation is Looking to Improve the Experience of VAR for Football Fans
After the Premier League launched a consultation with players and managers, the FSA is now looking to add the thoughts of the league’s fans to the table.
The survey is open for anyone to fill out and tackles issues such as the amount of time VAR takes to make decisions, how clear the process is to fans, and whether VAR makes games more enjoyable.
The findings of the survey will be given to the Premier League and will have a direct effect on the consultations that are set to take place soon.
While VAR is unlikely to be scrapped any time soon, the FSA recognises that there are issues with the way technology is being used by officials.
This survey can have massive implications as the system will be changed in the short-term, or even scrapped altogether down the line.
The Future of VAR is Uncertain
VAR has split opinions since being introduced in the Premier League in 2019. The system has not proven flawless, as mistakes have been made in decision making despite the use of Video Assistants.
While many expected growing pains with the introduction, few could have predicted how difficult implementing the new form of refereeing would be.
While the optics of, and time that is taken by, the new system has led to widespread complaints by fans, VAR has also brought into question certain rules of the game.
Several laws such as the offside rule related to Bernardo Silva‘s goal against Aston Villa in January, or the definition of a “natural body position” in handball scenarios have been questioned, and subsequently changed after video-assisted refereeing brought them to public attention.
As VAR seems likely to be part of the game for the foreseeable future, surveys like this one by the FSA are crucial for improving the experience of fans who have suffered due to the new refereeing systems.
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