Doug King talks Coventry’s Premier League hopes and explains why VAR should be the Championship

Owner and chairman Doug King talks Coventry’s Premier League hopes and explains why VAR should be the Championship.

Ahead of his side getting the 2026/27 top flight season underway on Friday, he spoke with talkSPORT’s Jim White and Simon Jordan and variety of topics.

The Sky Blues back in the Premier League for the first time since 2001, after winning the 2025/26 Championship title with 95 points from 46 games played, winning 28, drawing 11, losing 7, 97 goals for and 45 goals against.

😬 “You’re officiating it with 100 year old technology!”

⏩ “They need to move forward!”

Coventry owner Doug King backs the inclusion of VAR in the Championship! pic.twitter.com/2X7nGRXsrj

— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) August 20, 2026

ON VAR:

Jim White: Doug, we wish you well in the Premier League and you’ve just come there from the Championship.

“There’s been a lot of debate this week Doug about VAR and the Championship only having it in the Championship playoff final and not in the Championship season proper. Do you think the Championship should have VAR?

Doug: Yes. Of course it should. It’s a top league, one of the top leagues in the world, and you’re playing and officiating it with, I don’t know, 100 year technology, couple of linesmen and the referee, and it’s it’s hugely important.

“Look, I know everybody goes, “Oh, it spoils the game.” I don’t believe it does. I want fairness, accuracy, and semi-automated offside or a challenge. You know, the hand ball I saw at the weekend at Norwich. I mean, you know, you can’t be having that at this level. It’s ridiculous.

Jim: “I think the EFL believe it makes it more authentic not having it, Doug.

Doug: I know they do, but I disagree with them. I think that they need to move forward and they need to you make the product as as as good a product as they possibly can and I think you know you need to have it in there.

“It costs a bit of money and the issue I bit think from the EFL viewpoint is that they know that the Championship clubs are under the cosh and if they need to invest you know a few hundred grand on VAR they don’t really want to put it to them but I think we need to think bigger than that and I’ve always been a big fan that you need it.”

Looking ahead to the new season, he said, as reported by Coventry Telegraph: “We’re excited. I had a little chat with Dean (Austin) and Frank [Lampard] yesterday and we had a little moment before it all kicked off and I am really excited with their clarity and how excited and driven they are, and how on it they are. So I am feeling really good about where we are and what will happen will happen, but I am happy with where we are.”

Simon Jordan: “Do you think, know that going into the Premier League with all the optimism of the first game of the season and it becomes more of a slog as it goes on because it’ll be difficult.

“I remember speaking to Mark Ashton last year, Ipswich with the same sort of aspirations. Do you see staying in the Premier League in the first season as a seminal moment for the opportunity to keep building Coventry forward?

“Do you really have to stay in there or is it a case of you’re going to have a bloody good go, you’re going to balance it, you know, you’re carrying up losses from the Championship which are going to prejudice you in the Premier League because you’re only allowed to have a certain amount of losses from the Championship in the Premier League, but is it seminal for you staying in the Premier League or can you absorb going down and rebuilding again?

Doug: “Look, I mean, it’s taken us 25 years to get out. I really don’t fancy going back. But to be fair, we know that, you know, it it’s likely or it’s possible. Seven out of nine have gone back down.

“But the plan that we had this summer was to bring in quality that made a difference to our team and I think we’ve done that in our opinion.

“So, we’ve given it the best shot that we can and we’ve obviously invested a lot of money and obviously if it doesn’t work out then obviously some of our great players will probably want to be heading off into other top leagues or Premier Leagues.

“So, yeah, I understand that. I don’t really want to stop the momentum. So, I’m trying to sort of keep going on that and that’s why it was an really important summer why I’m looking so weary and hopefully we’ll show what we can do.”

On potentially more to come in the transfer window he said: “I couldn’t possibly comment!”

“Listen, we’ve been busy this last weekend with a couple of new recruits coming in at the top end of the pitch.

“I’ll tell you what’s been really good for us, we’ve changed this into a club that people really want to come and play for us. They feel it, they like it, like the stadium, like the set-up and like the head coach. And he’s been fantastic, by the way, and really great in our recruitment process and making sure that we sell the situation.

“So I’m really happy with the way we have gone this summer and if there are a couple of extras, a couple of stragglers that come in late then that will be for everyone to look out for.”

On Premier League chief executive Richard Masters’ claim that every club should aspire to win the league, he said: “Well you can aspire but, yes, it’s a closed shop. There’s a small concentration of clubs, you have £800m revenues versus £200m revenues so you can do the maths.

“It’s going to be incredibly difficult so you have to find every advantage that you can to be competitive and obviously our goal is to try to build momentum. We need to try to stay in the league if we can and then build those revenues toward – we are never going to get to those numbers – but get toward meaningful revenues so that we can be competitive.”

Looking ahead to facing Premier League champions Arsenal: “It’s definitely a memorable one. We’re excited, it’s the first game of the season and first time we’ve been there for 25 years so the excitement is building. There has been lots to do this summer, we’ve been really busy but I am finally getting into it and it will all probably kick in tomorrow as we head down there.”

COVENTRY’S FIXTURES:

(All dates and times are subject to change for broadcast)

Fri 21 Aug – A – Arsenal – Premier League – 8pm
Tue 25 Aug – A – Plymouth Argyle – Carabao Cup Second Round – 7.45pm
Sat 29 Aug – H – Hull City – Premier League – 3pm
Sat 5 Sep – A – Manchester City – Premier League – 3pm
Sun 13 Sep – H – Brighton & Hove Albion – Premier League – 2pm
Sat 19 Sep – A – Nottingham Forest – Premier League – 5.30pm
Mon 12 Oct – H – Newcastle United – Premier League – 8pm
Mon 19 Oct – A – Tottenham Hotspur – Premier League – 8pm
Sat 24 Oct – H – Fulham – Premier League – 3pm
Sat 31 Oct – H – Sunderland – Premier League – 3pm
Sat 7 Nov – A – Everton – Premier League – 3pm
Sat 21 Nov – H – Crystal Palace – Premier League – 3pm
Sat 28 Nov – A – Leeds United – Premier League – 3pm
Wed 2 Dec – H – Ipswich Town – Premier League – 8pm
Sat 5 Dec – A – Manchester United – Premier League – 3pm
Sat 12 Dec – H – Aston Villa – Premier League – 3pm
Sat 19 Dec – A – AFC Bournemouth – Premier League – 3pm
Sat 26 Dec – H – Chelsea – Premier League – 3pm
Wed 30 Dec – H – Brentford – Premier League – 8pm
Sat 2 Jan – A – Liverpool – Premier League – 3pm
Wed 6 Jan – A – Ipswich Town – Premier League – 8pm
Sat 16 Jan – H – Everton – Premier League – 3pm
Sat 23 Jan – A – Sunderland – Premier League – 3pm
Sat 30 Jan – H – Leeds United – Premier League – 3pm
Sat 6 Feb – A – Crystal Palace – Premier League – 3pm
Wed 10 Feb – H – Liverpool – Premier League – 8pm
Sat 20 Feb – A – Brentford – Premier League – 3pm
Sat 27 Feb – H – AFC Bournemouth – Premier League – 3pm
Wed 3 Mar – A – Chelsea – Premier League – 8pm
Sat 13 Mar – H – Manchester City – Premier League – 3pm
Sat 20 Mar – A – Brighton & Hove Albion – Premier League – 3pm
Sat 10 Apr – H – Arsenal – Premier League – 3pm
Sat 17 Apr – A – Hull City – Premier League – 3pm
Sat 24 Apr – A – Aston Villa – Premier League – 3pm
Sat 1 May – H – Manchester United – Premier League – 3pm
Sat 8 May – A – Newcastle United – Premier League – 3pm
Sat 15 May – H – Tottenham Hotspur – Premier League – 3pm
Sun 23 May – A – Fulham – Premier League – 3pm
Sun 30 May – H – Nottingham Forest – Premier League – 4pm