Will VAR ever be introduced into the Championship after fresh Leeds United controversies - Daniel Farke is fuming | OneFootball

The lack of VAR was a talking point in the Championship as Leeds United were incorrectly denied two goals in their win at Middlesbrough.

Leeds United moved back to the top of the Championship in the week after a narrow 1-0 win at Middlesbrough.

However, that didn’t tell the whole story, as the Whites should not have been hanging on to claim the points at the end, as they had two goals wrongly disallowed for offside.

Ao Tanaka was incorrectly adjudged to be offside when he tapped home from a Manor Solomon cross, before Patrick Bamford later saw his goal disallowed despite making his run from an onside position.

Naturally, that angered Daniel Farke, with the German criticising the officials - which he also did last season, and it has prompted some to debate whether VAR should be introduced into the Championship.

VAR is not yet in use in the Championship

As it stands, VAR is not in use in the Championship other than the play-off final, although there is goalline technology.

The introduction of the video assistant has been controversial in football, with many match-going fans in the Premier League unhappy at how it slows the game down and ruins the spontaneity of celebrations.

Wolves did propose for the Premier League to scrap VAR, but they lost the vote 19-1 last season, meaning it is here to stay in the top-flight.

Video technology could come to the Championship

Many Championship clubs will have played a game involving VAR, as it has been used at Premier League grounds in the FA Cup and the latter stages of the EFL Cup, and there is a chance that it will be introduced to the second tier.

One issue with implementing it immediately is the cost, but previous reports have claimed that a ‘low-cost alternative’ is an option. That would see managers allowed two unsuccessful challenges per game, and it would be known as Football Video Support (FVS).

This is something that is being trialled by IFAB, and the EFL have said they are ‘monitoring developments’ to see whether it’s a realistic option.

VAR is always going to divide opinion

There’s no denying that VAR has changed the matchday experience for supporters, and a BBC survey last year suggested only 10% 'would keep VAR in its current form'.

For many fans who have been relegated from the Premier League, one of the few positives is that you are returning to a league that doesn’t have VAR.

Yet, for balance, you have to point out incidents like Leeds at Boro where fans were hugely frustrated at a human error. That would’ve been cleared up very quickly had VAR been in place, and with so much money at stake, you can see why clubs may want to increase accuracy - which VAR is proven to do.

So, there’s no right or wrong answer when it comes to this, but with the way football is embracing technology, it would be a surprise if some sort of video assistance didn’t come to the Championship.

The second divisions in Germany and Italy use VAR, and most major leagues across Europe adopt it as well.