Motherwell fans make stance clear on VAR as majority shareholders discover 'overwhelming feeling'

Majority shareholders at Motherwell, the Well Society, have called for discussion on VAR after members did not back its current use within Scottish football.

Fans were almost split evenly on whether VAR should be scrapped immediately or “fundamentally reformed.” In a clear stance, none of the supporters who took part in the Well Society survey had the feeling that VAR should go unchanged and fewer than 1% said “unsure”. 63% said they didn’t support VAR in Scottish football and 60% said the refereeing tech had made their time as a supporter “significantly worse”.

A Well Society statement reads: “Over the past few weeks, the Well Society invited Motherwell fans to share their views on the use of VAR in Scottish football. This was part of our ongoing commitment to giving supporters a real voice in shaping the future of the game. The response was extraordinary – not just in volume, but in the depth of feeling expressed. It’s clear that this is an issue that cuts right to the core of the matchday experience.

Why Motherwell majority shareholders want Scottish football discussion on VAR

“The results are striking. 63% of respondents said they do not support VAR in Scottish football. A near unanimous 99.3% of respondents believe it either needs to be scrapped altogether or fundamentally reformed. The other 0.7% were unsure. In other words, none of the supporters who took part in the survey felt VAR should remain unchanged. Perhaps most telling of all, 60% said VAR has made their experience as a supporter ‘significantly worse.’

“Fans spoke about long delays, a lack of clear communication, inconsistent decisions, and a growing sense of disconnect between those in the stands and those officiating on the pitch. Rather than building trust in decisions, many feel VAR has done the opposite, creating more distance between supporters and the game itself. Some still see potential for technology to play a role in football, if used in the right way. But the overwhelming feeling from our fanbase is that VAR, as it stands in Scotland, is simply not working. A system designed to bring clarity has, for many, only added more confusion.”

David Cullinan, a director of the Well Society, said: “As a fan-owned club, we have a duty to listen. This wasn’t about grabbing attention. It was about listening to what our supporters really think. And they’ve made it clear that VAR, as things stand, is letting them down. The Society will be taking their views on board and working on a plan of action, which we’ll share with members in due course. This is just the start of a wider discussion, and we’re calling on clubs across Scotland to stand with their supporters and be part of it.”

Well Society director on VAR consultation

Speaking recently to the Motherwell Times on our Fae the Tap O’ the Toon podcast series, director Derek Watson said: “It's my personal opinion that we really need to be gauging the opinion of our members and using their voice to drive the club forward, but also to drive Scottish football forward.

“If we're a fan-owned football club and the vast majority of our members don't like VAR and don't want there to be VAR, then we as the majority shareholder we should probably be saying that. Listen, I could be totally wrong. It might be that people come back and they're very much in favour of it. I doubt that, but there's many issues across Scottish football that I think we should be speaking to our supporters about and we should actually be trying to lead the change on in Scottish football as a whole.

“We have to do that with the mandate of our members and we wouldn't be silly enough to push something without knowing that we've got the full backing of the membership.”