Championship clubs reject the use of VAR for next season

It was believed that proposals had been put forward to introduce a version of the technology from the start of next season in the Championship.

But it’s now emerged clubs in the second tier have voted to reject the plans.

Football Video Support (FVS), a variation of VAR which needs fewer resources and gives each coach two reviews per game, could have been brought in from August.

It comes after the Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO) gave a presentation at the EFL's annual meeting last month.

According to the BBC, the EFL subsequently contacted the clubs to canvas feedback, but it was found there was no appetite for any version of VAR in the Championship.

It’s also claimed the idea of VAR in the Championship is “closed for the foreseeable future” and the idea is unlikely to be reviewed in a year’s time.

It is understood goal-line technology will continue to be used in the Championship next season and could be extended to League One, pending a vote on fully costed proposals in June.

VAR was introduced to the Premier League in 2019, but a recent survey by the Football Supporters’ Association discovered that three-quarters of top-flight fans are against its use.

Nearly 8,000 supporters, just over half of whom attend in excess of 15 home games a season, took part in the poll to assess attitudes to the technology.

The results demonstrated just how unpopular it has become, with more than 97 per cent of respondents opposing the statement that VAR makes watching football more enjoyable, while more than 90 per cent disagreed that it has made the match-going experience better.

Asked if they support the use of VAR in football, meanwhile, 75.71 per cent said they do not, with more than 70 per cent disagreeing that it has improved the overall accuracy of refereeing decisions. More than 90 per cent also believe the technology has removed the spontaneous joy of goal celebrations.