NafisaFormer Rangers boss Philippe Clement has reignited the debate over VAR in the Championship after launching an extraordinary seven-minute argument for the technology following Norwich City’s controversial defeat to West Brom.
The Belgian, now in charge at Carrow Road, was furious after Aune Heggebo’s opening goal in Norwich’s 2-1 defeat appeared to be scored with his hand.
With no VAR available in the Championship, the goal stood and West Brom went on to claim all three points. The incident has since taken an even more dramatic turn, with Heggebo handed a two-match suspension by the Football Association for “successful deception of a match official” after an independent commission reviewed the incident.
That retrospective punishment has only intensified the argument over whether the Championship should have access to video technology in the first place.
And Clement, who spent time managing Rangers before leaving Scottish football, made his feelings extremely clear.
“I think the league creates its own problems by not having VAR,” he said.
The Norwich boss explained that he initially did not want to make the refereeing controversy the centre of attention after the defeat, but admitted that the incident continued to bother him.
“I didn’t want to go into that after the game because you want to focus on the team and the things we could do better,” Clement said.
“But I know it’s real time, it goes fast, and there are errors made by human beings. That’s why there’s VAR.”
Clement arrives with receipts
Rather than simply complaining about the decision, Clement apparently decided to do some homework.
He revealed that he asked his analyst to compile a list of leagues around the world currently using VAR.
What followed was an extraordinary roll call of countries and competitions, with Clement pointing out that the technology is already used in a huge number of leagues across Europe, South America, Asia and elsewhere.
His argument was essentially that the Championship is increasingly becoming an outlier.
“So all these leagues have VAR,” Clement said.
“There are countries that have never played in a World Cup here. It’s madness for me that there’s no VAR in the Championship.”
The irony is that the Championship will continue without VAR during the 2026/27 season despite clubs having been presented with an alternative video-review system earlier this year.
The proposed Football Video Support system would have required fewer resources than conventional VAR and given managers a limited number of challenges, but Championship clubs ultimately opposed its introduction. As a result, there will be no VAR or FVS in the EFL this season, with goal-line technology remaining in the Championship.
That decision makes Clement’s latest comments particularly significant.
The Heggebo punishment has made things even stranger
The biggest frustration for Clement is perhaps what happened after the game.
The officials could not use VAR to identify the handball during the match. Heggebo’s goal therefore stood and West Brom won 2-1.
Yet the FA subsequently reviewed the incident and charged the striker under Rule E3.1.
An independent commission then upheld the charge and handed the West Brom forward a two-match ban.
That creates an obvious question: if the technology can be used retrospectively to punish a player, why isn’t it available during the match to correct the decision immediately?
Clement believes the situation strengthens his argument.
“Everyone wants an honest game, so the league wants an honest game too,” he said.
“That’s why they issue a ban to the player, but it could have been avoided, because the rest of the world is already doing this.”
The Norwich manager also pointed towards the fact that VAR is already used in the Championship play-offs, meaning clubs can suddenly have access to video technology when promotion is on the line.
“You see evolution in the World Cup,” Clement added.
“There is a ball with a chip in it, which means errors are reduced further, and that’s the evolution now.”
Clement thinks the Championship is falling behind
For Clement, the issue is not simply about correcting one controversial decision.
He believes the Championship should also be a place where referees can develop their experience with VAR before potentially moving into higher-profile competitions.
“But those referees also need to learn it somewhere,” he argued.
“They need a first step, and that should be the Championship, or even lower.”
That is perhaps the strongest part of his argument.
Clement pointed out that the technology is already being used in the Championship play-offs, creating what he considers an awkward inconsistency.
“In this league, there is VAR in the play-offs, because suddenly it becomes important to have an honest game,” he said.
“But not for the 46 games before that.”
The controversy surrounding Heggebo has therefore become much bigger than one disputed goal.
Norwich lost 2-1 despite having significant opportunities during the match, with Heggebo putting West Brom ahead before Jimmy-Jay Morgan doubled the advantage. Mathias Kvistgaarden pulled one back in stoppage time, but Clement’s side could not find an equaliser.
And now the former Rangers boss has used the incident to deliver one of the strongest calls yet for the Championship to reconsider its position on VAR.
“I cannot believe that, in five years’ time, there will not be VAR in the Championship,” Clement said.
“Or in three years’ time.”
For now, however, the answer from Championship clubs remains clear: there will be no VAR this season.
And after the Heggebo saga, Clement clearly isn’t convinced that decision is going to age particularly well.
Nafisa
