‘It’s not football anymore’: perceptions of the video assistant referee by english premier league football fans

ABSTRACT

This article draws on the responses of one hundred English Premier League Football fans and their perceptions of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) during the 2019/2020 season. A multi-sited ethnographic study was applied to capture fans opinions of VAR who were physically present at matches. Data was collected at pubs, fan areas, family zones, public areas, and online on Premier League Forums and Official Message Boards. Fans indicated various themes such as accuracy, flow, in the dark, ruining the moment and acceptance. The results of this study expose significant complexities between the VAR and the experience of matchday fans. Findings also hold implications for the continuous discussion surrounding VAR in elite football. Overall, this paper contributes to the literature that explores decision-aid technology in sport and the evolution of football fandom in England.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Collins, “The Introduction of Decision-Aid Technology”.

2. Collins and Evans, “Public understanding of technology”.

3. Winand and Fergusson, “More decision-aid technology in sport”.

4. FIFA, “FIFA’s position on technology in football”.

5. Winand and Fergusson, “More decision-aid technology in sport”.

6. BBC Sport, “World Cup 2010: Blatter apologises for disallowed goal”.

7. BBC Sport, “Goal-line firm wins World Cup bid”.

8. BBC Sport, “Goal-line technology given go-ahead”.

9. Winand and Fergusson, “More decision-aid technology in sport”.

10. YouGov, “Football fans want video reffing”.

11. FIFA, “IFAB agrees to introduce experiments with VAR”.

12. BBC Sport, “what we learned from Confederations Cup”.

13. Zglinski, “Rules, Standards, and the VAR in Football”.

14. Federation Internationale de Football Association, “VAR at the 2018 FIFA World Cup”.

15. BBC Sport, “VAR set for Premier League next season”.

16. BBC Sport, “VAR’s Premier League debut – did it work?”.

17. Premier League, “Video Assistant Referees Explained”.

18. Spitz et al., “Technology and decision making in football”.

19. Cairns, “The hybrid architecture of sport”.

20. Spitz, “Technology and decision making in football”.

21. Carlos et al., “How does VAR modify the game”.

22. Errekagorri et al., “The effects of the Video Assistant Referee system”.

23. Kolbinger and Knopp, “Video kills the sentiment”.

24. Football Association, “VAR to be used in FA Cup Third Round ties”.

25. Premier League, “Stadiums to show new VAR information”.

26. Sky Sports, “VAR instant replays not to be shown in stadiums”.

27. Stoney and Fletcher, “Are Fans in the Stands an Afterthought?”.

28. Sky Sports, “Premier League to roll out VAR giant screen changes”.

29. Winand and Fergusson, “More decision-aid technology in sport”.

30. Han et al., “Video assistant referee on the Chinese Super League”.

31. Hutchins et al., “Over-the-top sport”.

32. Bale, “The changing face of football: Stadiums and communities”.

33. Kolbinger and Lames, “Technological officiating aids in game sports”.

34. Lee et al., “New Approach to Stadium Experience”.

35. Yoshida and James, “Customer satisfaction”.

36. Cox, “Spectator Demand, Uncertainty of Results, and Public Interest”.

37. Spitz et al., “Technology in association football”.

38. Winand and Fergusson, “More decision-aid technology in sport”.

39. Errekagorri et al., “The effects of the VAR system”.

40. Winand and Fergusson, “More decision-aid technology in sport”.

41. Henriksen and Tjora, “Cafe Worker Species”.

42. Pearson,”An Ethnography of English Football Fans”.

43. Dixon, “The football fan and the pub”.

44. Richards and Parry, “Beers and blurred boundaries”.

45. Giulianotti, “Supporters, Followers, Fans, and Flaneurs”.

46. Millward, “The Rebirth of the Football Fanzine”.

47. Griggs, “Ethnographic Study of Alternative Sports”.

48. Cleland, “Racism, football fans, and message boards”.

49. Schweizer, “Soccer referees intuitive decision-making skills”.

50. Spitz et al., “Technology on decision making in football”.

51. Kolbinger and Lames, “Technological officiating aids in sport”.

52. Collins and Evans, “Sport-decision aids and the CSI-effect”.

53. Hughson, “The Artification of Football”.

54. Svantesson, “Technology and FIFA World Cup refereeing”.

55. Augste and Cordes, “Game stoppages as a tactical means”.

56. Errekagorri et al., “The effects of the VAR system”.

57. Winand and Fergusson, “More decision-aid technology in sport”.

58. Carlos et al., “How does VAR modify the game”.

59. Carboch et al., “Errors by line umpires on ATP tournaments”.

60. Dawson et al., “Match officials, referees, home advantage”.

61. Weed, “Is being there always Important”.

62. YouGov, “What do football fans think of VAR?”.

63. Auslander, “Liveness: Performance in a Mediatized Culture”.

64. Giulianotti, “Emotional Attachments and Social Control”.

65. Ludvigsen, “Safety first: towards a security legacy and fan-oriented research agenda”.

66. Dixon, “Football fandom culture and the origins of practice”.

67. Putra, “Your Neighbours Walk Alone (YNWA)”.

68. Turner, “Modern English football fandom and hyperreal stadia”.

69. Yang and Cole, “Smart Stadium as a Laboratory of Innovation”.

70. Boyko et al., “Home advantage in English Premiership football”.

71. Balmer et al., “Crowd noise on soccer refereeing”.

72. Premier League, “Clear and obvious explained”.