It’s football, not PlayStation – Uefa refs’ chief on VAR
Uefa's chief refereeing officer, Roberto Rosetti, has said some VAR reviews are becoming disconnected from the spirit of football, following talks with senior referee officials from England, Spain, Germany, France and Italy aimed at achieving a more consistent approach to video review decisions. His comments came as Uefa launched Clear Line, a new fan-facing portal designed to explain when VAR should and should not intervene, amid widespread dissatisfaction with how the technology is currently being used across Europe's leagues.
Rosetti highlighted persistent inconsistencies in handball decisions between countries, with the Premier League awarding penalties far less frequently than the Bundesliga, La Liga, Serie A, Ligue 1 or the Champions League, where the rate is highest of all. He also voiced concern that too many VAR interventions are influencing player behaviour and that lengthy monitor reviews risk undermining credibility, saying any check lasting beyond 90 seconds becomes problematic. A new shared protocol has been agreed for on-pitch reviews, showing referees a freeze-frame, then a half-speed replay, followed by full speed, with the stated aim of restoring authority to on-field officials.
- Uefa referees' chief says VAR is being overused and losing context
- New "Clear Line" portal aims to standardise VAR decision-making
- Handball rules and VAR intervention rates still vary widely by league
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Football's character depends on the rhythm and authority of real-time decision-making, which lengthy VAR reviews disrupt rather than enhance, creating confusion and inconsistency across nations as the handball disparities demonstrate. Limiting VAR to genuinely clear-cut errors and restoring faith in on-field referees preserves the sport's integrity whilst allowing natural flow and preventing defensive behaviour centred on avoiding technical review.
The case against
Competitive fairness fundamentally requires correcting decisive errors—missed penalties, wrongly awarded or disallowed goals—that VAR prevents, and accepting such mistakes merely to preserve aesthetic traditions contradicts modern sporting standards. The solution is improving implementation through faster protocols and consistent training, not abandoning technology that demonstrably catches critical mistakes undermining the integrity of individual matches and seasons.