Most Norwegian clubs want to do away with VAR
18 of the 32 clubs want to abolish video referee technology
Of the 32 teams at the top levels of Norwegian football, 18 do not want VAR. A vote taken this Tuesday declares that the majority of clubs in Norway want to do away with the video referee.
Only nine of the groups were in favor of the technology and five have not yet given any opinion. In other words: of the 32 clubs, 18 prefer to abolish VAR in professional competitions. “We have said throughout the process that there will be an owners meeting on January 22nd with all the clubs in the League and then we will share our thoughts. Until then, I won’t say anything», said Cato Haug, leader of the NTF, equivalent to Norway’s Liga Portugal, in July last year. Now, the results of this vote will be discussed and then the information will be passed on to the Federation.
This vote is not, however, synonymous with the abolition of VAR. This is because, at the beginning of March, the matter will be discussed again, but at Federation level. There, voting will take place, which includes all clubs included in the Norwegian Federation, not just those that are part of the League. Something that, for the Norwegian Supporters’ Alliance, will not be a hindrance: «What interest will clubs at the lower end have in paying for VAR when those that use it don’t want it? The Federation pays half of the 17 million crowns [around 1.45 million euros] that are invested annually in VAR, money that could go to the grassroots”, says Ole Sandvik, Alliance spokesman.
So what can you expect? «It would be a scandal if, at the beginning of March, VAR was not abolished», concludes Sandvik. Norway would be the first to reverse its decision to have a video referee and would be, alongside neighboring Sweden, one of only two top-tier leagues in Europe not to have the technology.
