Grassroots clubs hold key as Norway prepares for historic vote to scrap VAR

‘This is no longer about VAR, but about trust in the federation’ – one club’s general manager frames tense situation

Skoppum IL have never pretended to be what they are not. The club represent a pretty village an hour’s drive south of Oslo, fielding teams from the under-14 age group down. Their goals are modest but of the kind that nourish an entire sport: to provide a safe and welcoming environment in which the community’s youngsters can play. There are hurdles to overcome, such as a need for up-to-date artificial pitches and the challenge of increasing participation among girls.

On Saturday afternoon, though, Skoppum and Norway’s 1,700 grassroots clubs will be asked to make a decision that could cause shockwaves far beyond their country. They will gather online or at Oslo’s Ullevaal Stadion for the Norwegian Football Federation’s (NFF) annual general assembly and are entitled to vote on whether video assistant referees are scrapped in the highest division, Eliteserien. It will conclude a saga that has ripped at the domestic game’s fabric. The top two tiers have voted for the technology to be discontinued but, in the final stage of an outwardly democratic process that many believe has been the opposite, the clubs whose lives it barely touches are in effect tasked with the final say.