Norway could become the first nation to scrap VAR, with clubs working to remove it from the top flight following a series of fan protests.
Several clubs in the Eliteserien, Norway’s equivalent of the Premier League, would like to see the technology gone having used it since 2023.
While Sweden’s Allsvenskan rejected its introduction in 2024, no country has yet introduced it and then voted to remove it.
‘Lillestrom Sports Club has a clear annual meeting resolution that the club will actively work to phase out VAR, and the board and the club of course support this,’ said Lillestrom chairman Raymond Gabrielsen.
‘This means, among other things, that we have a dialogue with other top clubs and are working on concrete initiatives that could lead to a liquidation.
‘We are against the very idea behind VAR. However, we believe that the quality of the current solution neither corresponds to what was communicated at the time of its introduction, nor to the expectations that have been created that the system would improve over time.
Fans at Norwegian club Valerenga protest with a ‘No to VAR’ banner last year
‘We therefore believe that the matter should be ripe for a new assessment, where the clubs that use the system should be heard,’ he told Norwegian broadcaster TV2.
Norwegian clubs proposed abandoning VAR last year but the idea was rejected by a clear majority.
Even though there is no such movement in the Premier League, VAR continues to create controversy virtually every weekend.
In 2024, Wolves – who were then a top flight club – wanted VAR axed but they were outvoted 19-1 by the other members of the Premier League.
