The push for video technology in football has intensified in recent years, but it’s time to draw the line.
The EFL Championship, one of the most competitive and passionate leagues in the world, has so far resisted the creeping influence of VAR—and for good reason. Despite pressure from pundits, ex-managers, and parts of the footballing establishment, there’s a growing consensus that the cost, disruption, and inconsistency associated with VAR simply do not belong in the second tier of English football.
Financial Realities Cannot Be Ignored
First and foremost, VAR is expensive. Installing and operating the technology involves more than just a few extra cameras. It requires a control room staffed with trained officials, advanced software, secure data links, and high-definition camera angles at every stadium. While this is manageable for Premier League clubs boasting multi-million-pound TV deals, it’s a different story in the Championship. Clubs here often live within tight financial margins, trying to keep up with parachute payment riches, and still stay above water. For many, the priority is survival—on and off the pitch.
Introducing VAR would mean diverting funds from academy development, stadium upgrades, or even first-team investment. When clubs like Oxford United operate on a shoestring, how can the league justify sinking resources into a system that doesn’t guarantee better decision-making?
Disruption to Matchday Atmosphere
One of the Championship’s defining traits is its matchday experience—raw, passionate, and unfiltered. Unlike the sanitised, corporatised feel of some Premier League matches, the Championship is built on emotion. Bobby Madley, a former Premier League referee now officiating in the EFL, put it best: “You score a goal, you look at the referee, you look at the assistant, he hasn’t put his flag up, it’s a goal.” That instant release, that pure adrenaline—VAR kills it.
Instead of spontaneous celebrations, fans are now conditioned to hesitate. Goals are followed by glances at the big screen, a nervous pause, and often confusion. In a league where the atmosphere is so crucial to the identity of clubs and supporters alike, eroding that experience is a dangerous price to pay.
Premier League Failings Should Be a Warning
If VAR worked seamlessly in the Premier League, perhaps the Championship might be tempted. But it doesn’t. Time and again, the system has made headlines for the wrong reasons. Remember when Luis Díaz scored a perfectly valid goal for Liverpool against Tottenham in September 2023, only for VAR to wrongly disallow it due to a communication breakdown? Or when Brighton were denied a clear penalty against Spurs after Kaoru Mitoma was tripped—an error PGMOL later apologised for?
These were not marginal calls. They were glaring, game-defining errors that VAR failed to correct. And that’s the point—technology is only as good as the people operating it. In high-pressure environments, even trained officials struggle to interpret incidents consistently. Why import this dysfunction into a league that’s already stretched?
Inconsistencies Would Deepen Inequality
Even if VAR were brought into the Championship, would it be uniform? Would the same quality of implementation be available at Leicester City and Preston North End alike? Unlikely. Without the financial clout of top-tier clubs, there’s a real risk of a two-tier VAR system—some clubs with better equipment, faster reviews, or more reliable communication.
This breeds a sense of injustice. In a league where the margins between promotion, mid-table, and relegation can be minuscule, the idea that one team could benefit from higher-quality VAR than another is fundamentally unfair. Championship football thrives on its competitiveness—introducing technological inequality undermines that completely.
Quality of Officials Is Not Solved By Technology
A popular argument for VAR is that it “helps referees.” But in truth, it’s often a crutch for poor decision-making. If the officials on the pitch aren’t good enough, adding screens and extra slow-motion angles doesn’t necessarily help. In some cases, it even leads to overthinking. Decisions that once required instinct and control are now over-analysed in sterile VAR booths.
In the EFL, where referees already face intense scrutiny, introducing VAR would only increase the pressure. Every mistake would be magnified, every decision second-guessed. Far from supporting referees, VAR could actually damage their confidence and credibility further.
Leave VAR to the Top Flight—Let the Championship Be Football’s Last Refuge
At its best, football is unpredictable, emotional, and gloriously imperfect. That’s what makes the Championship such a special competition. It doesn’t need sanitising. It doesn’t need over-policing. And it certainly doesn’t need technology that has failed to deliver in the division above.
Let the Premier League tinker with semi-automated offsides and ten-minute VAR delays. Let the Championship stay true to what football used to be—fast, passionate, human. Mistakes happen. Controversy happens. But at least it’s organic.
VAR is not the solution. It’s the problem. And it has no place in the Championship.
