Norway becomes the first major league to abandon VAR, but will others follow?

VAR has become one of the most contentious subjects not only in soccer, but across the broader sports landscape as referee invervention has reached an all-time high. However, one country is axing the concept after fans expressed their outrage over the system.

Norway's top flights have voted to remove the VAR and video review by a vote of 19-13, which marks the first major league in global soccer to scrap it. The Norwegian Football Federation went through a lengthy four-month period of reviewing how VAR has changed the game and after its findings many of the clubs decided to agree with the wishes of their fans.

Norway is set to become the first country to abandon VAR after 19 of its 32 clubs voted to scrap video refereeing in the country's top divisions. ❌

Earlier this season, Rosenborg vs. Lillestrøm was abandoned because fans threw fishcakes, tennis balls and flares onto the pitch… pic.twitter.com/Z73MEWBvyo
— SPORF (@Sporf) January 23, 2025

The situation had gotten so bad (and weird) in Norway that a major match between Rosenborg and Lillestrom was actually abandoned earlier this season because fans were so furious over VAR decisions they threw obscure objects onto the field like fishcakes, tennis balls and flares.

But this does bring up a wider question; will other leagues around Europe and the rest of the world follow Norway's steps?

There's no question that having a VAR involved in games not only slows down matches, but in many instances causes more controversy when calls are reviewed and still the correct outcome doesn't follow. This is extremely common in the Premier League and UEFA Champions League competitions.

Norway scrapping VAR after just two years.

"It's not [about] being anti-technology; it's being pro-passion and trying to get rid of something that sort of f***s your passion. It's a nightmare for any football fan."

Will any other countries follow suit?? https://t.co/y0rwxIQZeH pic.twitter.com/zGA7UIveo6
— Mark Donaldson 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 (@DonaldsonESPN) January 22, 2025

Even leagues like Major League Soccer that have done a solid job implementing video review into the game and even have refs explaining their decisions, which is similar to the NFL and NBA, are still met with massive criticism.

Nobody will ever be fully pleased with a referee's decisions, which only makes sense because they are humans like the rest of us. But the biggest issue with VAR is that it's shined a spotlight on another individual, who has to put their stamp on the game with critical decisions and then have the head referee on the field agree with that sentiment.

Video review is flawed in nature and the truth is unless the system adapts over time there's a very real possibility that the sport will abandon it in the near future, especially with major competitions like the World Cup.

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