Jose Sanchez
Research expert covering society, economy, & politics for Latin America
VAR in the Premier League - statistics & facts
Since its introduction in the 2019/20 season, VAR has had a profound impact on the Premier League. Criticized by players, pundits and fans alike, the accuracy of VAR is nevertheless increasing season by season, with fewer errors reported in 2024/25 than in the previous two years. In any case, most parties accept that there is still room for improvement, and in-stadium replays rank highly among the most popular fan suggestions for improving the VAR process. While increased accuracy and better features are to be welcomed, they do not address some concerns over disruption to matches. Lengthy VAR checks have the potential to take the joy out of key moments, and a majority of Premier League fans felt that VAR had made watching matches less enjoyable as of 2024. It is evident then that match officials need to find a balance between getting key decisions right while keeping what made football the ‘beautiful game’ intact.
