Ammon News - More than 75% of Premier League fans do not support the continued use of Video ​Assistant Referees (VAR), a survey by a football supporters group showed.

The survey was ‌conducted online between February 26 and March 23 and saw almost 8,000 fans of top-flight clubs participate, the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) said.

The results showed that 75.7% did not support the ​use of VAR in football, with 91.7% saying VAR had removed ​the spontaneous joy of goal celebrations.

“These findings back up the ⁠FSA’s previous survey in 2021, where fans expressed misgivings about the introduction ​of VAR," FSA’s Premier League network manager Thomas Concannon said.

The FSA had shared the ​survey results with the Premier League and referees' body PGMOL and looked forward to discussing the findings, he added.

In response, the Premier League said VAR had led to more ​accurate outcomes while remaining less disruptive than in other European competitions.

"In recent ​seasons, there have been around 100 correct VAR overturns per season – instances where goals would ‌otherwise ⁠have been incorrectly awarded or disallowed, or red cards or penalties missed or wrongly given," a Premier League spokesperson said in a statement.

"The league applies a high threshold for VAR intervention, with the referee’s call taking precedence. ​As a result, ​VAR is less ⁠intrusive in the Premier League than in other European leagues, including the Champions League, where VAR intervenes almost twice ​as often."

It added that refining the use of VAR ​remained a ⁠key focus for both the league and PGMOL, and that it would continue to engage with stakeholders as part of its efforts to improvement the system.

"As ⁠part ​of ongoing dialogue with supporters, Premier League ​research indicates fans are largely in favour of keeping VAR, but improving the way it is ​used,” it said.

Reuters