Swedish Football Association (SvFF) chairman Fredrik Reinfeldt announced that Sweden’s top leagues will not adopt a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system, following opposition from clubs.
The decision stems from concerns expressed by clubs about the technology’s controversial nature, including extended analysis of close offside calls and significant delays during matches.
Back in July 2023, the majority of clubs in the top two divisions of Swedish football, represented by the Swedish Professional Football Leagues, actively opposed the introduction of VAR.
Notably, clubs in Sweden’s Allsvenskan must have at least 51% fan ownership.
“If I counted correctly, we have 18 elite clubs and two districts that have said they do not want to introduce VAR,” Reinfeldt, the former prime minister of Sweden, told the Aftonbladet newspaper in an interview published on Thursday.
“We respect that. That’s why we didn’t bring forward any proposal about VAR to the previous board of representatives meeting and I don’t foresee it in the future either. I stand by respecting the democratic rules of the game.”
Reinfeldt, who previously hailed VAR as “the future,” has faced backlash from fans for his current stance on the issue. The 58-year-old explained that his earlier comments were made in light of discussions suggesting UEFA might mandate VAR implementation.
“I don’t think so now, from what I’ve heard, so then it is up to us to make the decision,” he added.
The SvFF’s stance means that the Allsvenskan will be the only league UEFA’s top 30 divisions to reject VAR.