VAR: Still a Mess, Still Necessary?

The 2025-26 Premier League season, like every one since its introduction, brought another year of fiery debate around Video Assistant Referees. We saw 127 decisions overturned across 380 matches, a slight bump from the 119 in 2024-25, but still a far cry from the 155 we saw in 2022-23. Of those 127, 43 were for offside, 31 for penalty incidents, and 28 for red card offenses. Manchester United, for instance, had two goals disallowed for marginal offside in their 1-0 loss to Brighton on October 19th, both reviews lasting over two minutes.

Here's the thing: average review time actually ticked *up* to 78 seconds this past season, compared to 72 seconds in 2024-25. That's a problem when the PGMOL target remains under 60 seconds. The longest review of the campaign came on April 6th during the Chelsea-Arsenal derby, a five-minute, 12-second stoppage to determine if Kai Havertz's handball led to Ben White's disallowed goal. Fans at Stamford Bridge were audibly restless, and the broadcast showed exasperated managers Mikel Arteta and Enzo Maresca exchanging words on the touchline.

When it came to who benefited, the numbers tell a story, albeit one often skewed by small margins. Liverpool saw 11 decisions go their way, leading to five additional points according to Opta's post-game simulations. That includes a important penalty awarded to Mohamed Salah against Aston Villa on May 4th, which he converted to secure a 2-1 victory. Conversely, West Ham United had a league-high nine decisions overturned against them, costing them roughly four points. Remember that disallowed Jarrod Bowen goal against Fulham on December 21st? That was a borderline handball call, erasing what would have been an equalizer in a game they ultimately lost 1-0.

Penalty conversion rates after VAR intervention remained high, sitting at 88% (39 converted from 44 awarded). This is consistent with previous seasons, suggesting that when the spot-kick is given, the pressure doesn't faze the top professionals. Cole Palmer, for example, went a perfect 7-for-7 from the spot this season, including two after VAR calls. The most contentious penalty awarded via VAR was probably the one given to Tottenham's James Maddison against Newcastle on November 9th for a foul by Bruno Guimarães just inside the box, a decision that took 98 seconds to confirm.

Real talk: fan satisfaction with VAR is still in the dumpster. A Premier League-commissioned poll in May 2026 showed only 31% of fans felt VAR improved the game, down from 34% the previous year. The primary complaints were lack of clarity at the stadium (no replays shown), excessive delays, and the "subjectivity" of certain decisions, particularly handball. After Brighton's 2-0 loss to Everton on January 26th, Seagulls manager Roberto De Zerbi publicly called for in-stadium explanations for VAR decisions, echoing sentiments from fans across the league.

My hot take? The problem isn't VAR itself; it's the interpretation and the human element. The rules are too squishy. Until "clear and obvious" means *actually* clear and obvious, and we stop micro-analyzing every single frame for a millimeter of offside, the frustration will continue. We need a hard line on offside, no more lines drawn by a shaky hand, and on handball, it needs to be an intentional movement or a clear blocking of a goal-bound shot, not a ball ricocheting off a player's arm from two yards away.

Manchester City will win the 2026-27 Premier League title, but VAR will still be the most talked-about "player" on the pitch.