Madley Slams VAR for Killing Football’s Emotion

Former English Premier League (EPL) referee Bobby Madley has voiced strong criticism of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) as it strips football of its emotional heart.

Speaking at the Cheltenham Science Festival on Thursday, 5 June, the 39-year-old match official shared his frustrations, arguing that the delays and clinical checks have robbed fans of the spontaneous joy that makes the game special.

Now officiating in the English Football League and serving as a fourth official in the EPL, Madley contrasted the top competitions with the lower leagues – where the VAR technology isn’t used – where the raw excitement of football is preserved.

“[The VAR] takes that emotion away from it and football is a game where there could be one moment in the game, one goal, and that’s it,” he said, before adding: “To take that emotion away, to have to wait and wait, and what feels like an eternity, as a fan I’m not a huge fan of that experience.”

Referring to VAR as a “monster”, Madley warned that football may be losing its soul in the pursuit of technical accuracy.

The British referee – who officiated nearly 100 EPL games before his 2018 dismissal – returned to English football in 2020, but hasn’t officiated a top-flight fixture this season.

His comments reflect mounting discontent among fans, players and football insiders over whether modern interventions are enhancing or harming the game.

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