Norwegian top-flight match abandoned after fans protest VAR by throwing fishcakes onto pitch

The Norwegian top-flight match between Rosenborg and Lillestrom was abandoned on Sunday after supporters threw tennis balls and fishcakes onto the pitch in protest against the use of video assistant referees (VAR).

The game was interrupted on multiple occasions as objects, which also included smoke bombs, were thrown onto Rosenborg’s Lerkendal Stadion field from both sets of fans. Lillestrom supporters also held up a banner reading “We will never give up, VAR will go away”.

The two teams returned to the dressing rooms twice and came back out onto the pitch in an attempt to fulfil the fixture before the match was abandoned with only 32 minutes played.

A Rosenborg statement read: “We can confirm that Rosenborg-Lillestrom has been cancelled following a decision by the referee and will not be completed today.” Lillestrom added that “work is now being done to find a new time for when the match will be played”.

GAME ABANDONED IN NORWAY AFTER FANS’ VAR PROTESTS. 📺

Tennis balls, flares & even FISHCAKES thrown onto the field at Rosenborg vs Lillestrom, prompting several stoppages & eventual cancellation. 🐟

Fans’ message is clear. “We never give up. VAR is going away!” 😤 pic.twitter.com/KJdLeB41uc

— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) July 21, 2024

VAR was introduced into Eliteserien, the Norwegian top flight, in 2023. The technology had already been implemented across Europe’s top divisions and utilised at major FIFA and UEFA tournaments, helping improve decision-making but also generating persistent controversy.

Fans across Norway have protested against VAR since its introduction, with fan groups coordinating an en masse anti-VAR demonstration last year. Clubs in Norway are all owned by their members.

Supporters have used their voices elsewhere in Scandinavia to object to the technology. In May, Sweden became the first country to reject implementing VAR after fan backlash.

Supporter pressure — clubs in Sweden must also be a minimum 51 per cent owned by fans — prompted the climbdown after the president of the Swedish Football Federation, Fredrik Reinfeldt, had previously backed the idea. Reinfeldt had approved trials later this year, but those will now not go ahead.

Last month, Premier League clubs rejected proposals to scrap VAR following a motion from Wolverhampton Wanderers at the league’s AGM.

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(Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)