January 30 – The Norwegian FA (NFF) has launched a defence of VAR in a bid to retain it, after NFF president Lise Klaveness (pictured) and her board met on Wednesday to consider the future of the technology following opposition from fans, who threw fish cakes on to a pitch last year in protest, and clubs, who have voted to get rid of it.
Klaveness and her FA, however, take a different view. She said: “Despite strong arguments in favour of abolishing VAR, in particular opposition from the elite clubs, the governing body unanimously concluded that the best thing for Norwegian football is to maintain and develop it.”
The NFF president argued that VAR could not be reversed two years after its introduction, echoing the view of UEFA, whose general secretary, Theodore Theodoridis, has written to her.
The letter read: “UEFA, especially its Managing Director Refereeing, Mr Roberto Rosetti, totally believes that once VAR is in a competition, it is impossible to go back. VAR has vastly reduced the number of clear and obvious errors made by referees. The technology is able to almost eliminate offside mistakes for example.
“We understand that such VAR technology has a financial impact for competition organisers, but we are convinced it is a worthwhile investment which can be shared with the competition’s participating teams. Furthermore, a new ‘lite’ version of VAR is being tested which should reduce costs and make it more affordable for those competitions which do not have major financial resources.
“Naturally, your Congress is free to make its own decision and remove VAR from Norwegian football. However, they should understand that they are turning the clock back and be aware that the rest of the football world is moving in entirely the opposite direction.”
Last week, 19 of the 32 professional clubs in Norway voted to scrap video refereeing in the country’s top division. It was the result of a four-month consultation with stakeholders and the vote led to a recommendation for the NFF to rubber-stamp the decision.
The NFF’s position leaves Klaveness, who is standing for a position on the UEFA Executive Committee at Congress in Belgrade, Serbia, in April, isolated. A final vote at the NFF Congress will decide the issue in March, when Norway could become the first country to ban VAR.
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