VAR: What is it Good For?

In the Premier League at least, the introduction of a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) has been met largely with frustration and anger. Not perhaps aimed at the concept itself, but rather the cumbersome implementation of the new system in the league. This discontent can be observed in Statista's latest European Football Benchmark survey, which shows a fifth of fans in the UK think VAR should be banned, while just 43 percent think it should be kept - comparatively low when looking at the results from Europe's other major leagues.

There may be some more nuance to be tapped here, too. VAR as a concept was largely heralded as a move in the right direction for football when it was introduced and it could be that the ideal situation for fans would be to not abandon it, but rather improve how it is used - avoiding long delays during matches and not interfering in the decisions of the referee in cases of a fingernail being offside, for example. How VAR was used during the Euro 2020 tournament could potentially serve as a blueprint for the Premier League going forward.