Norwegian Football Federation Stands by VAR After Clubs Vote to Remove It

Lise Klaveness, the president of the Norwegian Football Federation (NFF), has strongly defended the use of VAR (Video Assistant Referee) following a decision by clubs in the country to vote for its removal last week. Klaveness emphasized that the NFF is committed to maintaining VAR, though she acknowledged that the implementation of the technology needs improvement, especially after significant protests from fans, including an incident where a fish cake was thrown onto the field in July.
Despite the considerable support for eliminating VAR, particularly from top-tier clubs, the Norwegian football governing body has unanimously decided that continuing and improving the technology is in the best interest of Norwegian football. Klaveness also pointed out the many decisions that have been corrected thanks to the use of VAR since it was introduced.
A final vote on whether VAR will remain in Norway’s top two leagues will take place during the NFF congress, scheduled for early March. The congress will include representatives from professional men’s clubs (19 out of 32 clubs voted to remove VAR), women’s professional teams, amateur clubs, and district representatives.