European football refereeing officials have called for Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology to be strictly limited to correcting "blatantly incorrect" decisions and identifying clear missed incidents. The call comes as concerns grow that VAR is exceeding its original mandate.

Chief refereeing officers from all 55 European national football associations convened with UEFA officials and a representative from the International Football Association Board (Ifab) to discuss recent modifications to the laws of the game. During the meeting, attendees expressed that "lengthy, microscoping reviews" suggest VAR has moved beyond its intended scope.

When VAR was introduced in 2018 by Ifab, its guiding principle was "minimum interference - maximum benefit." The aim was to reduce unfairness stemming from clear and obvious errors or serious missed incidents related to goals, penalty decisions, direct red cards, and instances of mistaken identity.

UEFA stated that the recent meeting reinforced the need to return to these original objectives. "It was reiterated that, in accordance with protocol, VAR must only intervene in situations of 'clear and obvious' error, i.e. when a referee decision is blatantly incorrect or when the referee has missed a clear incident," UEFA said in a statement. The organization emphasized that "VAR is not meant to re-referee the game, it is an essential support to the referees, who must remain at the centre of all decision-making."

Officials noted that protracted reviews often indicate that the initial on-field decision was not clearly and obviously wrong and should therefore be limited. IMAGE1

The officials also acknowledged recent clarifications from Ifab regarding the interpretation of the "mistaken identity" rule, which was updated before the recent World Cup. This rule permits VAR to correct decisions if a player is cautioned or sent off, but the offense was committed by an opponent. However, Ifab clarified that VAR can only review cautions to "identify the player who committed the offence that was penalised, not to review or alter the offence."

There was also unanimous support for recent rule changes aimed at reducing game delays. These include time limits for goal kicks, throw-ins, and substitutions, as well as new regulations concerning on-field injuries and tactical timeouts for goalkeepers. IMAGE2