UPI – A professional football match in Norway was halted when fans hurled fish cakes and other items onto the field in protest against the use of video assistant referee (VAR) technology.
The Norwegian Eliteserien game between Rosenborg BK and Lillestrom was first paused just minutes after kickoff due to the fish cake barrage.
Although players briefly resumed play after the initial stoppage, the game was halted again when fans from both sides escalated their protest, adding tennis balls and smoke bombs to the mix.
The game was officially suspended after just over a half hour of play with the score 0-0.
The protest surrounded the use of VAR, which fans and even several supporter unions complain leads to referees taking too much time to make decisions, bringing games to long halts in the meantime. The league adopted VAR in 2023.
Some fans at the game were seen holding a banner, which read, “We will never give up, VAR will go away.”
