Premier League's worst-ever VAR decisions resurface as European nation could become first to scrap technology

Norway could become the first nation to scrap VAR after fan protests.

That is according to the Daily Mail's Tom Collomosse, who revealed that several clubs in the Eliteserien, Norway's top division, would like to see the technology 'gone' after using it since 2023.

While Sweden's Allsvenskan rejected its introduction in 2024, Norway could become the first country to introduce it and then get rid of it.

"Lillestrom Sports Club has a clear annual meeting resolution that the club will actively work to phase out VAR, and the board and the club of course, support this," Lillestrom chairman Raymond Gabrielsen said via Norwegian broadcaster TV2.

"This means, among other things, that we have a dialogue with other top clubs and are working on concrete initiatives that could lead to a liquidation.

"We are against the very idea behind VAR. However, we believe that the quality of the current solution neither corresponds to what was communicated at the time of its introduction, nor to the expectations that have been created that the system would improve over time."

Fans of the Premier League know more than most about how badly the technology has been integrated into England's top flight since the start of the 2019/20 season - and here are four of the worst decisions the competition has witnessed during that period.

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Erling Haaland's goal was wrongly given vs Man United (September 2026)

Kicking off this list is the most recent VAR shocker when Erling Haaland's goal against Manchester United was wrongly awarded.

Haaland's second-half strike was initially ruled out for offside, but replays showed he was being played onside by Patrick Dorgu, and the goal was given for that reason.

However, it was Enzo Fernandez's involvement in the Norwegian's winner that sparked the most debate, as the Argentine was in an offside position when he attempted to play the ball before it landed at his teammate's feet.

Because he didn't touch the ball, VAR didn't intervene, and the goal stood. But hours later, ProRef - the governing body responsible for overseeing professional refereeing - admitted that it was a huge mistake.

"In the same attack, it was established that Enzo Fernandez did not play the ball and therefore that makes any offside offence subjective; however, on this occasion, the VAR did not recognise the likely impact of his position and should have recommended an on-field review," a statement read.

"Contact has been made with Manchester United this evening to acknowledge what we deem is an error of judgement. A review of the incident will take place."

United went on to lose the Manchester derby 1-0 against 10-man City after Phil Foden was shown a red card in the first half - another controversial VAR decision in itself.

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Sheffield United's disallowed goal vs Aston Villa (June 2020)

Sheffield United's clash against Aston Villa in June 2020 lives long in the memory for all the wrong reasons, as it was the first time in 9,000 matches that goal-line technology failed.

Villa goalkeeper Orjan Nyland caught a free-kick and accidentally fell backwards, carrying the ball over the goal line.

In fact, Nyland and the ball over the line were literally entangled in the net – if not quite in the Holte End, as an understandably rattled Blades boss Chris Wilder claimed – when he caught it.

Somehow, all seven Hawk-Eye cameras missed it, and referee Michael Oliver did not receive a signal to indicate a goal. Meanwhile, since goal line technology is normally so accurate, VAR was not used to review the footage.

The Villans were incredibly fortunate to escape Bramall Lane with a goalless draw, and ironically, that point meant they survived by the skin of their teeth come the end of the season.

Perhaps if Sheffield United had been rightfully awarded a goal, then Villa wouldn't have survived and given their supporters years of success, including multiple Champions League campaigns and a European triumph. That is all hindsight, of course.

Luis Diaz's disallowed goal vs Tottenham (October 2023)

A moment Liverpool fans will have tried to erase from their brains was when Luis Diaz's perfectly fine goal was wrongly disallowed against Spurs in October 2023.

Diaz was flagged for offside after racing through on goal and scoring at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium when replays showed he was actually onside after being played on by Cristian Romero's outstretched leg.

But Darren England, the VAR, mistakenly believed the on-field decision had been to award the goal, leading him to tell Simon Hooper, the referee, that the check was complete.

This controversial incident happened after Curtis Jones was sent off following a VAR involvement, and the Reds went on to lose the match 2-1, leaving then-manager Jurgen Klopp understandably annoyed.

Klopp said his side's defeat came in "the most unfair circumstances" with "crazy decisions".

Wolves denied blatant penalty vs Man United (August 2023)

Two months before this outrageous decision, Wolves were left seething at the use of the technology after they were denied a stonewall penalty against Manchester United.

Entering stoppage time 1-0 down, the Old Gold threw everything at United as they went in search of an equaliser when Andre Onana crashed into Sasa Kalajdzic without making contact with the ball inside the penalty area.

It was arguably the easiest decision for referee Simon Hooper to make, though he somehow didn't react, while VAR Michael Salisbury didn't reverse the error and instead didn't deem there was any foul.

Gary O'Neil, manager of Wolves at the time, felt Onana was trying to take Kalajdzic's head off, and he received an immediate apology from then-PGMOL boss Jon Moss.

As punishment for this blatant error, the officials at Old Trafford were not selected for the following weekend's matches, though that wasn't a consolation for anyone associated with Wolves.