VAR in the EFL Championship soon? Ex-Premier League referee issues clear stance | OneFootball

Mark Halsey has made it clear that he doesn't want to see VAR in the Championship yet.

Highlights

Ex-referee Mark Halsey has revealed that he does not want VAR in the Championship, with there being too many issues at present and he also disagrees with its usage in the EFL play-off finals.

VAR has been a technology that has been around for a few years now, as it was something that was designed to improve football and aid referees on the pitch. The technology was tested in numerous settings, and it has now seen widespread usage as a part and parcel of most of elite football across Europe and in major international competitions.

The video assistant referee is now in most top European leagues, including the Premier League, and as we see regularly in that league, there is controversy every weekend over decisions that are being made and the impact they are having on teams.

However, VAR has yet to be filtered into the Championship in league fixtures. Although, it has been used in the competition in some capacity. During the 2021/22 season, VAR was introduced in the Championship, League One, and League Two play-off finals at Wembley.

Fortunately for Southampton, there was little need for the technology during an uneventful game against Leeds United, which saw them win promotion back to the Premier League.

Mark Halsey's VAR verdict

It has been reported previously that one of the factors as to why it isn’t used in the Championship is because of its cost and the fact it is “too expensive". It was also revealed by the EFL that they have no plans to fast track the introduction of VAR. It seems that while it is still an option, the introduction looks a long way away, as the costs seem too much at this stage. But there are said to be cheaper options being looked at for the Championship.

Speaking to Football League World on behalf of Poker Sites, Mark Halsey revealed his stance on the usage of the technology in the near future. He said: "I don’t want to see VAR in the Championship.

"If we look at it in the Premier League, nobody wants it. VAR is here to stay, but we’ve got to get it right – the technology, we’ve got to get the consistency in the Premier League sorted first before introducing it in the Championship.

"If we get the consistency, as well as the training and education right… If we look at the IFAB protocol, that’s not changed since VAR came into the game, so I think that needs looking at. The protocol needs revamping, we need to take out ‘clear and obvious error’ and bring in ‘error’. "At present, I wouldn’t want to see it brought into the Championship in the same way as it’s being operated in the Premier League at present. There’s got to be a vast improvement for me first. "We saw it in the EFL play-off finals. I know the play-off finals are massive, but they don’t use it all season and then bring it in for the finals… I’m not sure that’s right.

"They said they didn’t want it but had to use it… So I’m quite happy with there being no VAR in the Championship currently."

VAR in the EFL

This is something that will have many fans on the fence, as some will be crying out for it to be introduced, while others will prefer the game as it is now, with immediate human error through the on-field decision the only factor that impacts decisions.

The problem is that the Premier League has had it for a number of seasons, and it still isn’t perfect, and decisions are being made for the right and wrong reasons constantly. VAR remains one of the most controversial parts of the sport currently.

While fans argue that it can help the game, you can look at the Premier League and wonder if that competition has improved much since the technology has been introduced. However, Wolves were the only club to vote against VAR in a vote to scrap it last month, highlighting that many of the top-flight believe it is worth sticking with right now.

Just ask Coventry fans their thoughts on the technology after their semi-final FA Cup defeat to Manchester United to sum up the feeling amongst many in the EFL.