European football’s refereeing leaders have agreed that video assistant referees should return to their original purpose by stepping in only for obvious mistakes, rather than conducting lengthy reviews of marginal decisions.
The issue was discussed during a meeting in Nyon involving chief refereeing officers from all 55 UEFA member associations, UEFA refereeing officials and a representative from the International Football Association Board (IFAB). The group focused on ensuring a more consistent interpretation of the Laws of the Game ahead of the 2026-27 season.
Officials concluded that VAR should only intervene when a referee has made a “clear and obvious” error or missed a significant incident. They stressed that the technology is intended to support on-field referees rather than replace their judgement, warning that prolonged, highly detailed reviews often suggest the original decision was not clearly wrong in the first place.
The meeting also covered a recent clarification to the “mistaken identity” law introduced before the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Under the updated guidance, VAR may correct disciplinary action only to identify the correct player responsible for an offence, not to reassess or change the offence itself.
The clarification followed a controversial World Cup incident involving Switzerland forward Breel Embolo, who was initially shown a second yellow card for simulation against Argentina before VAR determined that Argentina’s Leandro Paredes had actually committed the foul. IFAB later confirmed that the review process should be limited to identifying the offending player rather than re-evaluating the challenge itself.
Refereeing officials also unanimously backed a series of recent law changes designed to reduce time-wasting, including stricter limits on goal-kicks, throw-ins and substitutions, as well as new rules covering on-field injuries and goalkeeper tactical timeouts. UEFA said further guidance aimed at improving consistency in officiating and VAR use across European football will be issued in the coming weeks.