Referee too bad?
VAR debate eats up Sweden’s football
07/06/2023 9:59 p.m
VAR? Abolish it, some say. Sweden didn’t introduce it at all, as the only major league in Europe. But now the new head of the association, Fredrik Reinfeldt, has raised the question of “VAR or not” – and is deepening the division in Swedish football.
“God” knew it beforehand, as always. The video assistant referee, VAR for short, just doesn’t work, Zlatan Ibrahimović complained back in 2019. “What was he doing up there?” Sweden’s football saint scolded an inattentive video assistant during his time in the USA: “Drunk a coffee with Magic Johnson ?”
In Ibrahimovic’s homeland, reservations about the technical aid are still widespread today: The Swedish Allsvenskan is the only one of the 30 highest-ranked leagues in Europe that still refuses the VAR. It is thus in “best” company with football midgets such as Gibraltar, Andorra or San Marino, which are among the 18 of the 55 UEFA countries that do not use the aid.
“The VAR is our future”
But now the new head of the association, Fredrik Reinfeldt, Prime Minister from 2006 to 2014, has asked the question “VAR eller inte VAR?” (VAR or no VAR) re-raised – and deepened the split in Swedish football. “The VAR is our future,” Reinfeldt told broadcaster SVT, claiming that only “a few fans” would see it differently. The discussion was never honest because of the defensive attitude of the interest groups.
Their outcry was unmistakable. 18 of the 32 professional clubs have valid resolutions from their general meetings to oppose the introduction of VAR – including top clubs such as two-time UEFA Cup winners IFK Göteborg and record champions Malmö FF or Hammarby IF with shareholder Ibrahimović. Not a single club actively performs per VAR.
Fan boss is frustrated
Isak Eden, head of the Svenska Fotbollssupporterunionen (SFSU) fan association, finds the attitude of association boss Reinfeldt “a bit frustrating”. The point of view of the organized supporters like the clubs is “clear: we don’t want the VAR!” With his justification, he speaks from the soul of many supporters in Germany: “He robs you of the actual feeling and the experience.”
The question stirs up, also because it touches on the very own understanding of association democracy. Swedish football prides itself on not looking down on important matters. Similar to the 50+1 in Germany, the “51-percent rule” regulates the voting ratios within the clubs. Possibly overriding it is “very dangerous,” warns fan representative Eden.
“Our mission is to be as fair as possible”
But not only Reinfeldt would be in favor. “The referees in Sweden need the VAR because they are too bad,” said Kalmar FF defender Lars Saetra. In fact, according to an SVT survey, 84 percent of first division referees want the support. “Our mission is to be as fair as possible,” said FIFA Swedish referee Mohammed Al-Hakim, “if a technology can help us, we should use it.” Especially since some of his colleagues are losing touch internationally because they are no longer allowed to whistle there due to a lack of VAR training.
Even the often ridiculed neighbor Norway has had the video referee since this season. In Sweden, a committee with representatives of the (regional) associations and clubs is to make a new decision in November. The VAR could still come in 2025 at the earliest – no matter what “God” thinks about it.