Credit: Imago

Scott Mason

Wed 22 April 2026 7:10, UK

West Ham United could be playing Championship football next season, and decisions affecting the second tier could influence the Hammers.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side is currently out of the relegation zone, but only by two points as fellow London rivals Tottenham Hotspur chase behind.

However, ahead of next season, Championship clubs have held talks surrounding the potential usage of VAR in the league.

The official decision has been to reject the proposal, and next season the Championship will only use goal-line technology.

In the event that West Ham get relegated, those talks will have a knock-on effect for the Irons, which makes the fact they were not involved in discussions quite ridiculous.

Why West Ham should have been involved in Championship VAR talks

Next season, West Ham could be a Championship club, much to the detestation of the Irons faithful. However, decisions that could affect the Hammers must involve the E20 outfit.

This also includes other teams that will potentially be playing in the second tier ahead of next.

While the technology in question is not the same VAR as seen in the Premier League – rather, Football Video Support (FVS) – not allowing West Ham to voice their opinion over something that could concern them is ludicrous.

The FVS system entails that each coach gets two challenges per match. If a challenge is successful, the manager keeps it.

Ultimately, the stakes in the Championship are too high for a side like West Ham, who could turn into real difficulty if they do not get immediate promotion back to the top flight.

The EFL should have let sides like West Ham, Wolves, Nottingham Forest, Burnley and Tottenham have a vote before making any official decision.

Now, if Nuno wants to have VAR next season, he must not allow David Moyes to frustrate West Ham this weekend.

Have West Ham benefitted from VAR this season?

Whether or not West Ham have been the beneficiaries of VAR this season does not make a difference when it comes to the fact they should have been involved in talks.

However, the Irons may have actually agreed with the other Championship sides.

According to Squawka’s most recent VAR table, the Irons would be sitting in 16th place rather than 17th with one more point without VAR “errors”.

It is worth noting this table’s last update came before the Hammers’ game against Crystal Palace and does not include the most recent round of games.

Additionally, these errors are merely voted for by fans and are not an official statistic.

Nonetheless, public perception seems to state that West Ham have been on the negative end of VAR this season.