Report: Bobby Madley criticises VAR for removing emotion from football
Referee Bobby Madley has delivered a scathing assessment of VAR, stating that he 'hates' the technology and the way it has changed the emotional dynamic of football. Speaking at the Cheltenham Science Festival during an event on technology in sport, Madley expressed frustration at how video assistant referees have affected the in-the-moment joy of goal celebrations.
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'As a fan, hate it, hate it. Love the Championship, love League One – I'm still a fan,' said Madley.
'I love League One because you score a goal, you look at the referee, you look at the assistant, he hasn't put his flag up, it's a goal.
'It [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.
'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.'
Madley currently officiates in the English Football League and acts as a fourth official in Premier League matches. While VAR is widely used in England's top flight, it has not been introduced to regular EFL fixtures.
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Madley's career and return to English football
Madley's career has taken a complicated path. Between 2013 and 2018, he refereed 91 Premier League matches before being dismissed by Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) after sending a video that mocked a disabled person. Following that episode, he moved to Norway to officiate in the lower leagues.
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In February 2020, he returned to English football as a National List referee. His return to the top flight has been limited, taking charge of one Premier League game in the 2022-23 season and another in 2023-24. He was not selected for any Premier League refereeing duties during the 2024-25 season.
Commercial pressures behind VAR's introduction
In his comments, Madley also pointed to the commercial forces driving VAR's implementation. He argued that the technology was introduced not because of fan or referee demand, but due to the financial interests of football's governing bodies and investors.
'There's so much money in football, it's business-driven. So any mistake is perceived to cost people money,' he said.
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'And I don't think most football fans were clambering over each other to get video technology.
'The players weren't, the referees weren't, but the people who run football, they are multimillion-pound and billion-pound people, and they had issues with referees getting things wrong.'
This view brings into focus a larger debate within modern football: whether decisions driven by corporate stakeholders serve the spirit of the game or erode it.
Madley's words reflect growing scepticism within the football community about the direction the sport is heading. While VAR was designed to reduce refereeing errors, many argue it has created its own issues by slowing down the game and sapping moments of joy and spontaneity.
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'I think we've got to the stage where people go, 'Sorry, we're ruining football with this now',' Madley added.
'But we knew the monster that had been created. As referees, we knew what was coming.'
His remarks will undoubtedly resonate with many fans, players and even officials who feel the soul of the sport is being sacrificed in the name of technical perfection.
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