What the fishcake?
On Sunday, the Norwegian top-flight soccer clash between Rosenborg BK and Lillestrom was halted – and eventually suspended – due to fans bombarding the pitch with fishcakes to protest the use of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
From the moment the match ensued, fans expressed their vexation toward (VAR) in general with their fishcakes.
The protests forced the referee to stop the match and send the players to the locker room.
The pitch was filled with fishcakes, tennis balls and smoke bombs following protests from the fans @MenInBlazers/X
The match restarted eventually, but that only heightened the protests as fans hurled tennis balls and smoke bombs inside Lerkendal Stadium.
The match was stopped four times in 30 minutes before it was suspended.
After its inaugural official appearance in September 2016 to assist referees in making crucial decisions, VAR has woven into the game’s fabric.
However, many fans want to unravel that change, which has sparked fierce debates and forms of revolt.
Numerous clubs’ supporters unions argue that matches in the Norwegian Eliteserien are botched because referees spend time using the system to make decisions, ESPN reported.
In June, during a separate Lillestrom clash against KFUM Oslo, fans tossed hundreds of tennis balls onto the pitch within the game’s opening minutes.
The aftermath of Lerkendal Stadium on July 21 @AndyLewers/X“It was our way of showing our dissatisfaction,” Lillestrom fan Joacim Moeller told the Norwegian newspaper VG.
“Everyone in Norway knows that we are against VAR. People are getting tired of it. There is no improvement. It is ultimately ruining our sport.”
Additionally, VAR has also received backlash from other leagues.
ESPN reports that Sweden’s top leagues elected not to implement VAR in April due to club opposition.
“If I counted correctly, we have 18 elite clubs and two districts that have said they do not want to introduce VAR,” Swedish Football Association (SvFF) president Fredrik Reinfeldt told the Aftonbladet newspaper.
“We respect that. That’s why we didn’t bring forward any proposal about VAR to the previous board of representatives meeting and I don’t foresee it in the future either. I stand by respecting the democratic rules of the game.”
