Referees in the Championship – arguably the biggest league in the world not using VAR – got over 85 per cent of key decisions correct this season according to an independent panel.
Data released to the PA news agency shows 85.6 per cent of decisions reviewed by the EFL’s Key Match Incidents (KMI) panel in the regular Championship campaign were correct – 1,363 out of 1,592, with 229 deemed incorrect.
The release of the statistics comes in the week Wolves have called for a vote to scrap VAR in the Premier League.
The Premier League responded to Wolves’ statement by saying it fully supports the continued use of VAR and is working on ways to further improve it. The league points out that this season 96 per cent of key match decisions were correct, compared to 82 per cent in 2018-19, the last season before VAR’s introduction to the top flight.
The current campaign is the first where a KMI panel has convened in the Championship, and the data arguably gives an indication of what the level of correct calls in the Premier League might look like if VAR was removed.
The average KMI net score for Championship clubs – the number of key decisions which went in a club’s favour set against the number which went against them – is zero.
Two of the key criticisms of VAR in a Football Supporters’ Association survey last summer were the in-stadium experience for fans, with only one in 20 rating it as good or very good, while 95 per cent said a chief concern was that VAR had removed the immediate joy and spontaneity of celebrating a goal.
The EFL is understood to believe that while the overall number of correct key decisions may slightly increase with the introduction of VAR, the in-stadia experience for supporters, off-field debate and financial aspects are all considerations that have to be taken into account.
Statistics from the 2024 EFL supporters’ survey also show 56 per cent of supporters do not wish to see VAR introduced in the Championship, rising to 79 per cent in League One and 83 per cent in League Two – an average of 72 per cent of supporters over the three leagues.
The lack of VAR in the second tier has faced some criticism though, with Leeds boss Daniel Farke saying this week his side would have secured automatic promotion if it had been in place. He claimed he had received “12 apologising letters” in relation to decisions that had gone against his team.
Constructive debate has taken place between clubs and referees’ body Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) across the season.
There is acceptance that errors can happen and at times there might be an acknowledgement of one taking place, however, sources stress these do not automatically translate to an apology being issued, with apologies understood to be extremely rare.
The Championship KMI panel has seven members altogether. Each Thursday – subject to change when there are midweek rounds – three out of the five former player and coach representatives convene, along with one representative each from the EFL and PGMOL.
A correct or incorrect decision is determined by a majority vote of the panel. The results are communicated to clubs and referees informed on each decision which way the representatives on the panel voted.
Detailed additional feedback is also provided to each match official and their coach. This is only one part of the review of a referee’s performance, which also includes the official and their designated coach analysing their games through regular match reviews.
The KMI data feeds into the overall rating which dictates an official’s place in the merit table. While this does not dictate the selection process for games, it is one of the factors that affects referee selection decisions, made by PGMOL.
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