It's football, not PlayStation - Uefa refs' chief on VAR

Uefa referees chief Roberto Rosetti has commented on the use of video assistant referee (VAR) technology, stating that some reviews are not directly related to football. Rosetti made these remarks while unveiling Clear Line, a first-of-its-kind fan portal aiming to clarify when VAR should and should not intervene. Representatives from England, Spain, Germany, France, and Italy met with Rosetti and the Ifab's technical director, David Elleray, to explore a more consistent approach to VAR decisions.

Rosetti acknowledged that VAR's impact on football is a source of dissatisfaction, so the goal is to avoid overly detailed situations and treat VAR as "football, not PlayStation." The referee must prioritize making decisions on the pitch, and VAR should only be used for blatant errors, according to Rosetti. He admitted that finding a unified approach across various leagues with differing interpretations of certain offenses is challenging, particularly with handball.

Handball penalties occur frequently, with the Premier League allowing one every 17.27 games, while the German Bundesliga, Spanish La Liga, Italian Serie A, and French Ligue 1 see penalties roughly every 10.9, 10.56, 10.0, and 9.27 games, respectively. Clear Line aims to standardize VAR application by presenting video examples of handball situations.

The portal explains when VAR should be used, presenting a guide for football stakeholders. The Champions League and Premier League have vastly different VAR intervention rates, with the former at 0.29 per game and the latter at 0.47. Rosetti emphasized that VAR should be used sparingly, focusing on clear and obvious mistakes, and proposals for a new collective protocol aim to ensure reviews remain under 90 seconds to maintain credibility.