The first championship in Europe that opposes VAR arbitration: “We don’t want it!”

The first championship in Europe that opposes VAR arbitration: “We don’t want it!”

Sweden’s professional football leagues will not implement the video refereeing system (VAR) after clubs expressed their opposition to the technology, Swedish Football Federation (SvFF) president Fredrik Reinfeldt said, Reuters writes.

VAR has consistently been at the center of controversy in the championships where it has been introduced, with complaints ranging from its extensive analysis of offside phases to delays that often extend to several minutes.

In July 2023, the Swedish professional football leagues, which represent clubs in the top two divisions of Swedish football, stated that the majority of clubs were “categorically opposed” to the introduction of VAR.

“If we counted correctly, we have 18 clubs from the elite value echelons and two districts that said they do not want to introduce VAR”, said Reinfeldt, former prime minister of Sweden.

“We respect their decision”, he emphasized.

Last year, Reinfeldt was criticized by supporters after saying that “VAR is the future”.