Norway set to vote on future of VAR after new pastry protest

Norwegian football will hold “open and democratic talks” over the use of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) ahead of a vote on its future in March, the president of the Football Association of Norway has announced.

Yet another game was stopped by protests on Monday — this time due to a flurry of Danish pastries.

The Eliteserien has been blighted by fan opposition to VAR throughout the summer, with supporters throwing objects and pyrotechnic onto the field.

It appeared to have reached a head on July 21 when the top-flight match between Rosenborg and Lillestrom was called off after play was stopped four times — initially because of a barrage of fish cakes. After a two-minute bombardment, the referee stopped the match and sent the players to the dressing room.

The match was restarted, but the protests intensified, with tennis balls and smoke bombs being hurled onto the field. The referee abandoned the match around the half-hour mark with the score 0-0. The match will be replayed in full at a later date behind closed doors.

The Norwegian Supporter Alliance has asked fans to postpone protests, but that appears to have fallen on deaf ears. On Monday, the second-tier game between Vålerenga and Ranheim was halted when the pastries were thrown onto the pitch and banners held up which read “No More VAR.” Although there is no video assistant at that level, Vålerenga were in the Eliteserien in the 2023 season and are well placed to be promoted immediately back to the top flight.

Ahead of the game, Vålerenga had become the first club in Norway to openly say they would work to get rid of VAR. “We at Vålerenga Fotball Elite will work hard to abolish VAR in Norwegian football,” a statement read.

It came after Lise Klaveness, the FA president, had admitted that Norwegian football has failed to take into account the views of supporters since VAR was introduced for the 2023 season.

“We spend a lot of time meeting and listening to Norwegian supporters at various levels,” Klaveness said. “We are passionate about freedom of expression in Norwegian and international football. I am humbled that in the past we may not have communicated clearly enough what are effective democratic channels to get involved in the question of VAR’s future in Norwegian football.

“We will now do our best to meet the call from the clubs and supporters in a good way.”

A working group made up of clubs, supporters, players, coaches and referees will be set up to evaluate the video referee system and deliver a report in November, ahead of “a thorough and inclusive assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of VAR” being discussed at the Football Parliament on March 1 and 2 next year. A vote will then be held among the clubs to decide if VAR will continue in Norway.

VAR has faced criticism many other leagues, with Sweden’s top leagues deciding in April not to implement VAR due to opposition from clubs, which have a controlling interest from fans.

In May, Wolverhampton Wanderers failed to get VAR scrapped in the Premier League, with clubs voting 19-1 against the club’s motion.