Who’s Gaining from VAR? Premier League Calls Revealed
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The 2024-25 Premier League season had quite some drama on the pitch caused by the chaos in the VAR booth.
With multiple controversial decisions on the headlines and social media, fans, managers, and punters are asking about VAR, asking which clubs are truly winning or losing from the video review system?
Let’s see what the data says by quantifying the impact of VAR on match outcomes, league standings, and betting odds, and exploring whether this technology is delivering new levels of fairness or just adding further frustration.
The VAR Debates Again
VAR (Video Assistant Referee) was first introduced as a way to bring more accuracy and fairness to football, however, its application in the Premier League has not been smooth.
Like many previous seasons since its introduction, the 2024/25 season equally saw more controversial decisions, with managers and players voicing out against VAR’s inconsistent and unclear rulings.
Fan outrage is reaching new levels, and is seeing many question whether VAR is helping or hurting the integrity of the Premier League.
VAR Decision: Effect on Each Club
A club’s net VAR score reflects the number of key decisions, such as goals, penalties, or red cards, changed in their favour minus those against. Here’s how each team fared:
| Club | Decisions For | Decisions Against | Net score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newcastle | 13 | 4 | +9 |
| Aston Villa | 8 | 4 | +4 |
| Brighton | 8 | 5 | +3 |
| Crystal Palace | 7 | 4 | +3 |
| Tottenham | 7 | 4 | +3 |
| Man City | 3 | 1 | +2 |
| West Ham | 6 | 4 | +2 |
| Brentford | 5 | 4 | +1 |
| Fulham | 6 | 5 | +1 |
| Leicester | 5 | 4 | +1 |
| Wolves | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Ipswich Town | 5 | 6 | -1 |
| Manchester United | 5 | 6 | -1 |
| Everton | 4 | 6 | -2 |
| Liverpool | 4 | 6 | -2 |
| Chelsea | 7 | 10 | -3 |
| Southampton | 4 | 7 | -3 |
| Nottingham Forest | 2 | 6 | -4 |
| Arsenal | 1 | 7 | -6 |
| AFC Bournemouth | 4 | 11 | -7 |
Table source: givemesport
Types of VAR Interventions and Their Frequency
VAR decisions are not the same. While these interventions can mean overturning goals, others award or cancel penalties, and a few result in red cards. Here’s a breakdown of the most common interventions in the 2024/25 Premier League season, according to ESPN:
| Intervention type | Occurence |
|---|---|
| Overturns leading to goals | 35 |
| Overturns leading to cancelled goals | 47 |
| Penalties awarded | 25 (21 scored) |
| Pens for handball | 7 |
| Pens for a foul | 16 |
| Pens on position | 1 |
| Pens after no offside | 1 |
| Penalties overturned | 11 |
| Penalties retakes (GK/DEF encroach) | 1 |
| Penalties retakes (ATT encroach) | 0 |
| Goals ruled out for offside | 34 |
| Goals awarded after incorrect offside | 10 |
| Goals awarded after incorrect subjective offside | 2 |
| Goals ruled out for handball | 7 |
| Goals allowed after wrong handball | 0 |
| Goals disallowed for ball out | 3 |
| Goals ruled out for a foul | 4 |
| Red cards | 11 |
| Overturned red cards | 1 |
One notable example from this season is the last-minute John Stones goal allowed after an incorrect subjective offside against Bernardo Silva, swinging the match and title race.
How VAR Decisions Shifted Match Outcomes
VAR has directly changed the result in several high-profile matches this season. Let’s look at some of the most significant ones:
| Fixture | VAR Decision | Result Changed From | Result Changed to | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Ham United Vs. Manchester United | A late penalty was awarded after a controversial handball from Man Utd defender. | Draw | Loss for Man Utd | The United coach got sacked after the match the following week. |
| Manchester United Vs. Aston Villa | Goal was disallowed for Villa after a foul on the United goalkeeper. | Draw | Win for Man Utd | Villa finished 6th and missed out on Champions League qualifications. |
| Bournemouth Vs. Arsenal | William Saliba of Arsenal was sent off for a last man foul. | Draw | Win for Bournemouth | Arsenal’s first defeat in an away game making them miss the chance to top the table. |
These decisions have not only altered match results but also affected the league standings. Some clubs have missed out on European qualification, while many others faced relegation battles because of these controversial decisions made by VAR.
Fan and Industry Reactions
The backlash against VAR has been fierce. Managers like Jürgen Klopp and Eddie Howe have called for greater transparency and consistency, while players have expressed frustration at the delays and confusion caused by these reviews.
Fan polls show a majority now believe VAR is doing more harm than good, with many calling for a return to “clear and obvious” standards or even scrapping the system altogether.
In 2024, Wolves put forward a motion to abolish it in the Annual General Meeting among the top 20 clubs, but the clubs voted 19-1 to keep VAR. Only Wolves voted in favour of the proposal as they failed to gain any support from other top-flight clubs.
The Premier League has responded by promising further improvements, including better communication with fans and more robust training for VAR officials. However, trust in the system remains low, and the debate shows no sign of abating.
The Way Forward with VAR
While some clubs have enjoyed a favourable decision, others have not been so lucky, and the unpredictability has made life harder for punters and bookmakers alike.
The Premier League wants greater transparency, clubs and players want better decisions more quickly. While the introduction of semi-automated offsides from next autumn will make the decision faster, this will not increase the accuracy of the results, which is also required.
