Sweden is one of the few European leagues not yet using the video assistant. In the member-determined clubs, there is a clear picture against the VAR.
At the end of May, the Swedish Football Association SvFF held a board meeting. The topic of video evidence is so important that more time is needed to discuss it, said association president Fredrik Reinfeldt afterwards. Several aspects would have to be weighed. As a result, the association ruled out a vote on the subject at a meeting in November.
Reinfeldt publicly spoke out in favor of the video assistant at the end of June. He called it “the future of Swedish football” and criticized the categorical no of the critics, only “some fans” were against it. Several professional clubs reacted to this statement.
Sweden’s association president Fredrik Reinfeldt: “The video evidence is our future”
General meetings of several clubs decided: No to video evidence
IF Elsborg, currently leaders in the Allsvenskan league, announced that the club continues to oppose the video evidence. In autumn 2022, Elsborg and nine other clubs explained this point of view in a letter to the association. Top club Malmö FF took the same position. “Malmö FF is against the introduction of video assistants in Swedish football,” it said in a statement at the beginning of July, referring to the vote of its members. “We protect federation democracy and the unique power it brings to Swedish football.”
This was preceded by general meetings in the clubs. There were several votes, the majority of which were in favor of continuing professional football in Sweden without video assistants. In Sweden there is a structure similar to the German 50+1 rule. In Swedish sport, 51 percent of the voting rights must lie with the clubs, which means that they are largely determined by members.
Swedish League Association: “A majority of clubs are against”
Svensk Elitefotboll, an advocacy group for Swedish professional clubs comparable to the German Football League (DFL), said that a majority of clubs had decided to actively oppose the introduction of the video assistant. “Our job is to represent our members on this matter and a majority of clubs have taken a clear position,” said Johan Lindvall, general secretary of the organisation.
The video evidence has not yet been rejected, but will not be introduced for the time being – it depends on a later vote in the association bodies.
Fan alliance calls on the association to respect the voting results
The Swedish fan association SFSU asked the association SvFF to respect the opinions expressed at the club’s general meetings. “It’s not just a few fans with banners in the stands. These are decisions that have been made at club annual general meetings,” said SFSU chairman Isak Edén on Swedish broadcaster SVT.
The video evidence alone is something for elite football, for the highest leagues. So the opinion of the clubs should have the greatest weight there. And there the picture is clear: “There is a large majority against the video assistant, the decisions were made democratically.” He also expressed the fear that the SvFF could enforce the decision despite the votes in the clubs and said that this could endanger association democracy.
Whether and when the association will take on the issue decisively remains open at the moment. In the 2024 season, Sweden’s top league will initially play without video evidence.
Sweden has the only league in Europe’s top 30 without video evidence
For the time being, Sweden remains one of the few white spots on the European football map in terms of video evidence. Sweden is 23rd in the UEFA five-year ranking, and there is no other country in the top 30 without video evidence in the top division. At the same time, UEFA is closing its gaps and will be introducing video assistants in the playoffs and group phase of the Conference League next season. FIFA is currently trying to give less financially strong leagues access to the technology with slimmed-down systems (“VAR light”).
