Will VAR be in use during Sunderland vs Coventry in the Championship play-offs? EFL rules explained
The EFL’s VAR rules explained ahead of Sunderland’s post-season Championship play-off campaign
Sunderland are set to compete in the Championship play-offs this season, with a potential game at Wembley on the cards should they win their semi-final against Coventry City over two legs.
As we all know, VAR (Video Assistant Referee) is used in the Premier League regularly and sporadically in cup competitions in the United Kingdom, though the technology is not currently used in the Championship, League One or League Two.
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However, VAR could still impact Sunderland this season during their play-off campaign under Régis Le Bris... here, we take you through everything you need to know:
VAR will not be used during the EFL Championship play-off semi-finals. Since the semi-finals are played at the home grounds of the participating teams, many of which do not have the required technology, VAR is unavailable for these fixtures.
Will VAR be used if Sunderland make it to Wembley?
Although the EFL have yet to confirm, The Echo understands that VAR is likely to be in use for the Championship play-off final at Wembley Stadium. The EFL confirm the use of VAR on a season-by-season basis. However, last season, VAR was implemented in all three play-off finals—Championship, League One, and League Two—at Wembley. This has been standard practice since the 2021-22 season, making it likely again this time around.
In short, while VAR is absent in the semi-finals, it could play a role in the crucial final at Wembley if the Black Cats were to get there.
Have Sunderland played a match with VAR previously?
Sunderland fans may remember that VAR was in use for the club’s clash against Wycombe Wanderers at Wembley in the League One play-off final, but the technology wasn’t used for anything significant in the end. That fixture remains the only game in Sunderland’s history so far whereby VAR has been in action.
What has Régis Le Bris said about the play-offs recently?
Régis Le Bris insists that Sunderland will react in the play-off semi finals after they finished the regular season with a fifth defeat in a row.
The Black Cats were beaten 1-0 by QPR at the Stadium of Light with another poor performance in which they struggled to create chances and work the opposition goalkeeper. The Sunderland head coach insists that his team will be ready to face Coventry City, who sealed fifth place in the table with a 2-0 win over Middlesbrough at the Ricoh Arena on Saturday.
Asked what he would say to fans pessimistic about their chances in the play-offs, Le Bris said: "I understand but we have to remember where we were one season before. This team has shown so many qualities this season, it doesn't disappear like that [clicks fingers]. It has been a really strange period because we secured this place so early and it was clear that this squad, the youngest in the league with a small core, deserved to recover.
“We disturbed the flow of the squad, it's rhythm and its references so that they could recover and so that we could test some new foundations. But in the end we know our foundations as a team. We know what works and what is positive for us, we know in our heads maybe what options could be good for us in the games. We are clear on our foundations and I think at that level, we are always on the edge, it's not unusual. The players are ready to react."
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