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Championship Clubs Reject VAR-Style Challenge System for Next Season

Fan-experience concerns plus costs sank the plan, leaving only goal-line tech in place for now.

Overview

  • Championship clubs, in decisions reported Tuesday, rejected introducing Football Video Support for 2026–27 after a PGMO demo and an EFL survey.
  • BBC Sport reported the proposal is closed for the foreseeable future, with little chance of a rethink within a year.
  • Football Video Support is a scaled-down VAR that gives each coach two challenges while a replay operator supplies angles to a pitchside monitor for the referee.
  • Club executives cited harm to the live match experience for supporters and the financial burden of rollout as the main reasons for saying no.
  • Goal-line technology will continue in the Championship next season, and a June vote will follow a cost study on whether to extend it into League One.