- Ex-PL referee Graham Scott says VAR is failing the game after more than a decade on the whistle.
- FSA survey: 75% oppose VAR; 90% say it harms the matchday; 85% say long checks sap enjoyment.
- Premier League and PGMOL won’t scrap VAR, promising better, faster application via improvement plans.
The VAR debate has kicked off again after former Premier League referee Graham Scott—who oversaw more than 400 matches before retiring in 2025—used his new column with The Athletic to deliver a blunt assessment: the trade-off between marginal accuracy and the rhythm of the game simply isn’t worth it.
Scott’s Stark Assessment
Scott has worked both in the middle and in the booth, and he paints a claustrophobic picture of the review room: intense pressure, endless angles, and the creeping fear of overreach. He says referees take no joy in ruling out goals for microscopic offsides—foreheads, kneecaps, big toes—and he’s hardly enamoured with players and fans standing around in the cold while a colleague dissects slow-motion tackles. In his view, the system, as applied, isn’t serving the match-day spectacle.
This isn’t a nostalgic moan; it’s a practical warning from someone who’s lived it. VAR arrived in 2019–20 to reduce clear errors, but we’ve drifted into forensic officiating that drains momentum and emotion. For supporters eyeing the weekend slate—and even those comparing odds on the best football betting sites—that stop-start feel changes how a game is experienced in real time.
Fans Fed Up, League Digs In
The Football Supporters’ Association’s latest survey is a thumping verdict: over 75% want VAR gone, more than 90% feel it hurts the match-going experience, and around 85% say lengthy reviews make football less enjoyable. Scott’s take mirrors the stands: technology should help, not hijack, the show.
The Premier League’s stance is firm: VAR stays, but the process must improve. The league says research shows fans broadly favour keeping it—so long as it’s better used—and, alongside PGMOL, points to ongoing work under the VAR Improvement Plan. Football’s lawmakers are even exploring a wider scope, which only heightens the need for a lighter touch and faster decisions.
My read? If VAR is here to stay, it needs a sharper brief: higher thresholds for intervention, clearer in-stadium communication, and time limits that prioritise flow. Keep the obvious howlers out—fine. But unless the system starts serving the sport’s heartbeat, the noise around it will only get louder.
Bio:
Football fanatic, you will often find me on the terraces at lower league matches on a Saturday afternoon. I leave the Premier League matches to the prawn sandwich brigade; grassroots football for me all the way.
Key contributions:
As the lead copywriter, it’s my job to turn my colleagues’ “messy notes” (sorry, guys!) into clear, engaging content. From bookmaker reviews to betting predictions, I make sure everything is polished, accurate, and easy to read
Personnel betting philosophy or quotes:
“Great content, like great football, is all about the fundamentals”
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