Premier League Fans Overwhelmingly Reject VAR in New Football Supporters' Association Survey

A survey of nearly 8,000 Premier League fans by the Football Supporters' Association (FSA) found that 75.7% do not support the continued use of Video Assistant Referees (VAR), according to results published on March 30, 2026. The online poll, conducted between February 26 and March 23, 2026, drew responses from fans of all top-flight clubs, with just over half of respondents attending more than 15 home games per season. The findings paint a picture of deep and sustained frustration with the technology, spanning its speed, accuracy, and impact on the atmosphere inside stadiums. The FSA said it had shared the results with the Premier League and with PGMOL, the body responsible for refereeing in English professional football, and said it looked forward to discussing the conclusions with both organisations.

75.7% (of fans surveyed) — oppose continued use of VAR in Premier League

Lost celebrations and slower decisions fuel fan anger The survey data reveals that opposition to VAR extends well beyond a general dislike of the technology. According to Reuters, 91.7% of respondents said VAR had removed the spontaneous joy of goal celebrations, while more than 70% disagreed that it had improved the overall accuracy of refereeing decisions. Spiegel Online reported that 97% of those surveyed said football had become less entertaining because of VAR, and that more than 90% felt the stadium experience had worsened — though the BBC and Reuters headline figure for overall opposition stands at 75%. Fewer than 3% of fans agreed that VAR decisions are reached in a reasonable amount of time, according to the Irish Examiner, and an overwhelming majority said they did not feel decisions were being made more quickly despite efforts to speed up the process. The only technology to attract strong support was goal-line technology, which was backed by more than 93% of respondents. More than 80% of fans said they now prefer watching matches without VAR, and more than 85% expressed concern about a possible expansion of the system.

Against VAR use: 75.7, VAR removed goal celebration joy: 91.7, VAR made football less enjoyable: 97, Stadium experience worsened: 90, No improvement in decision accuracy: 70, Decisions not reached in reasonable time: 97, Support goal-line technology: 93

FSA network manager cites spontaneity and accuracy concerns Thomas Concannon, the FSA's Premier League network manager, said the results confirmed findings from a previous FSA survey conducted in 2021. He said fans remained frustrated by the same core issues five years after VAR's introduction.

„These findings back up the FSA's previous survey in 2021, where fans expressed misgivings about the introduction of VAR.” — Thomas Concannon via Reuters

Concannon also described the specific grievances driving opposition to the system.

„People are annoyed by the length of time, the accuracy and the lost spontaneity. It takes away from football what it is supposed to be, and what makes those special moments special.” — Thomas Concannon via Spiegel Online

The FSA said it would engage directly with the Premier League and PGMOL to discuss the survey's findings, though no timeline for those discussions was given in the published results.

Premier League defends VAR, cites 96-97% accuracy rate The Premier League pushed back against the survey's conclusions, arguing that VAR had delivered measurable improvements to decision-making on the pitch. A league spokesperson said there had been around 100 correct VAR overturns per season in recent years — instances where goals would otherwise have been incorrectly awarded or disallowed, or where red cards or penalties had been missed or wrongly given. The independent KMI review panel estimated an accuracy rate of 96-97% for refereeing decisions since VAR's introduction, according to the BBC. The league also argued that VAR is less intrusive in the Premier League than in other European competitions, noting that VAR intervenes almost twice as often in the Champions League. The Premier League added that its own research indicated fans were broadly in favour of keeping VAR but wanted its use improved — a framing that contrasts sharply with the FSA's findings. The prospect of abolition appears remote: in June 2024, Premier League clubs voted 19 to 1 to retain VAR, with Wolverhampton Wanderers the only club to vote against. Under current rules, 14 of the 20 clubs would need to vote against VAR following a new abolition proposal for the system to be removed.

VAR was introduced to the Premier League at the start of the 2019-20 season, making England's top flight one of the last major European leagues to adopt the technology. The FSA conducted a previous survey on the subject in 2021, at which point fans had already expressed reservations about the system. In June 2024, clubs voted 19-1 to retain VAR, with Wolverhampton Wanderers the sole dissenting voice after having themselves proposed the vote. The Premier League has since introduced in-game announcements to explain VAR decisions, a measure supported by more than half of fans surveyed in 2026, though overall dissatisfaction with communication about decisions persists.