Man Utd fans call on club to take major VAR action after survey of 16,000+ supporters

Manchester United fans have called for a radical overhaul of VAR ahead of next season, following a survey of over 16,000 supporters.

The use of video technology was first implemented in the Premier League in 2019 and has not had the universal success many hoped for. Indeed, refereeing decisions are being scrutinised more than ever, with several high-profile mistakes in 2023/24, most notably the disallowing of Luis Diaz’s goal against Tottenham Hotspur in October after it was incorrected ruled offside following a VAR check.

Nottingham Forest also released a series of controversial social media posts which questioned the integrity of referees in April, while Wolverhampton Wanderers last month called for Premier League clubs to abandon the system altogether, following the example of Sweden.

Sides from the English top flight will vote on Thursday whether to abandon VAR, although it’s not expected to pass the threshold needed. Meanwhile, the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust (MUST) have given a clear verdict on the matter courtesy of an in-depth survey to gauge the views of fans. 

From 16,226 supporters who answered the questionnaire, just 0.6 percent said they were happy to continue with VAR in its current capacity, while just over half (50.6 percent) said they would get rid of video assistance altogether.

From the survey, 48.8 percent stated they would keep VAR if major changes were made to address existing issues. The three biggest problems highlighted by fans are the need for better information to be given to fans inside the ground, decisions to be made quicker and the need to only intervene for ‘clear and obvious’ errors.

In a statement, MUST added: “When Manchester United exercise their vote on VAR on 6 June, they need to take these results into account. Almost unanimously, football fans are sick to the back teeth of VAR. It has made the game worse, not better, and Premier League clubs have the opportunity do something about it in the upcoming vote.

“We’re not surprised that the group most opposed to VAR are season ticket holders and other match-going fans. Again and again, the fan in the ground is left in the dark whilst lines are drawn on a screen in Stockley Park, destroying the atmosphere in the stadium. It’s time to ditch the failed experiment of VAR, and either get rid of it entirely or make fundamental reforms.”

MUST collated responses from its 100,000+ members, while United assisted by sending emails to season-ticket holders and via a post on their Manchester United Matchday account on X, calling for fans to complete the survey.