Will VAR be used in Championship play-off final as Leeds United face Southampton?

Leeds United will face Southampton in the EFL Championship play-off final at Wembley Stadium this Sunday. The Whites are potentially just 90 minutes away from securing an instant return to the Premier League, but play-offs have not been kind to the club in the past, and Daniel Farke’s men will have to battle that narrative this weekend.

Both of this weekend’s finalists have taken similar paths to the final, drawing 0-0 in their respective first legs, while both won comfortable in the second, with Leeds thrashing Norwich City 4-0, while Saints defeated West Brom 3-1. With so much riding on the final, with this game billed the richest game in football, many have questioned whether VAR will be used at the Wembley final. We answer that question below.

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Is VAR used in the Championship play-off final?

Yes, VAR will be used in the play-off final. The EFL confirmed before the start of the play-offs that VAR would be used in the play-off finals across the Championship, League One and League Two. That’s despite the fact the technology has not been used in any of the league games or the play-off semi-finals this season.

VAR technology is already installed at Wembley Stadium, and so the use of the technology will have been a no-brainer for the EFL given they will want to avoid controversy in games that ultimately decide whether teams earn tens of millions or not. Having said that, they have refused the opportunity in previous years.

Daniel Farke’s stance on VAR

Leeds boss Farke has already made it clear that he wants VAR in the Championship. He said earlier in May: “I have 12 apologising letters at home already during the season with offside goals and penalties not given. If we would’ve used VAR during this season, we wouldn’t be in the play-offs. We would’ve been promoted automatically.

“I’m still pretty annoyed with the offside situation [v Norwich]. Someone told me that Sky showed a picture they said was proof it was offside. I recommend everyone have a look on the scouting feed, where you have a proper line - it was not offside. We also have the rule that, in doubt, you go in favour of the offensive team. It feels like this rule is not in place any more.

“Because we’re playing at the top level, small details make a difference. It changes the whole picture here. Everyone speaks about Wembley, the £100 million game, and at this level all the decisions have to be spot on. I expect myself to be spot on in these games with my decisions, and my players as well. Sorry, if you want to be in charge of such a game you have to do the same as well.”

EFL’s stance on VAR use in the EFL and Championship

EFL chief Rick Parry said back in 2022 that the EFL were considering options in regards to the use of technology in officiating, but there has not been any serious shift towards the installation of it.

“There are systems in place now that look genuinely quite exciting,” Parry told The Times in 2022. "If you look at the PGMOL statistics there is a clear gap now between the accuracy with VAR and the accuracy without and you probably can’t get beyond 90 per cent accuracy without.

“I think it’s just common sense that if we want to achieve a significant lift upwards then the only way to do that is with technology.” Other countries, including Spain, already use VAR in their second divisions.

Premier League VAR controversy

The Premier League continues to deal with controversy surrounding the use of VAR. Wolves have recently lodged a complaint that will trigger a vote in the use of VAR going forward, and that vote will take place in June.

Although, the Premier League are said to be confident that the majority of clubs will vote in favour of keeping the technology, reporting a 96% success rate in decisions made with VAR in place. Leeds will get a chance to take place in that vote should they secure promotion this weekend.