The motion Wolves tabled to have VAR scrapped didn’t receive support from a single other Premier League club at a meeting at the AGM on Thursday.
Recently, Wolves submitted a resolution to the Premier League, outlining nine reasons the club wanted to do away with VAR, having been on the wrong end of some awful decisions in 2023/24.
Wolves fans were left reeling several times last term after the team had goals chalked off, penalties given against and penalties not given for.
Club chairman Jeff Shi called for an improvement in the standards, and shortly after that Wolves tabled their motion.
On Thursday, all Premier League clubs voted on Wolves’ proposal continue without VAR – and not a single club apart from Wolves voted to get rid of it…
Wolves ‘pleased’ the discussion about VAR is out in the open
So next season VAR remain in place.
Wolves needed support from a two-thirds majority (14 clubs) to have VAR scrapped. In the end, they received no support whatsoever from their fellow Premier League clubs.
Plenty of clubs suffered several really poor decisions last season.
Nottingham Forest famously complained very publicly about the officiating after their 2-0 defeat to Everton. They felt they should have had three penalties and after the game, the club put out a statement suggesting Stuart Attwell – a Luton Town fan – should not have been the VAR for that game.
Despite their frustrations over that, and several other decisions this season, they did not support Wolves in the vote.
According to ESPN, West Ham United had a VAR net score of -4, Sheffield United had -3 and Manchester United had -2. But they all voted to keep VAR.
Despite receiving no support for their motion, Wolves are ‘understood to be happy with the discussion and pleased it was out in the open’, according to Telegraph journalist John Percy.
Hopefully a big effort is made to improve VAR now
It is very surprising that not a single other Premier League club voted to get rid of VAR.
It was probably never likely that Wolves’ motion would be successful, but to not get a single other club voting to get rid of VAR is quite a shock.
Clearly, there is still belief from these clubs that VAR can be overhauled and improved.
Certainly, it has so much potential to be a good thing, but it just hasn’t been used as best it could.
Seemingly, Wolves do feel fairly happy that conversations have been had at least, and perhaps the club believe that it will now be better going forward.