The rule holders of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) want to make the decision of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) more transparent for the fans in the stadium and in front of the TV sets in the future.
At its 137th annual meeting, the January annual business meeting’s decision that decisions relating to the VAR’s video review would be “transmitted live both at the stadium and on television on a trial basis” was confirmed.
In concrete terms, this means that the referees should use their microphone to communicate the decision to the stadium and TV audience. However, the radio traffic between the referee and the video assistant is not published.
The test procedure was then used at the FIFA Club World Cup in Morocco in February. It was the beginning of a twelve-month test phase. The procedure could also be used at the men’s U20 World Cup in Indonesia in May and June.
IFAB meeting chaired by a woman for the first time
The session was chaired by FA President Debbie Hewitt. This was the first time an IFAB session was chaired by a woman.
Another key issue: stoppage time
Another key issue was stoppage time due to wasting time at games. According to the IFAB, the response to the longer stoppage times at the World Cup in Qatar at the end of 2022 was positive. “It has been agreed that competitions around the world should adopt this model,” FIFA said.
“If it’s about obvious delays, if three players are substituted on in injury time and time is simply wasted – then please also have a long injury time,” DFB referee instructor Lutz Wagner told Sportschau in the run-up to the IFAB meeting.
Critical view of extension of stoppage time
However, it is not yet clear whether the duration of overtime will also be extended in German professional football. Wagner emphasized: “For the Bundesliga I’m counting on a learning effect, namely that wasting time is simply no longer worth it because the minutes are added at the end.”
In Europe, the extension of stoppage time is viewed rather critically. The English Premier League is said to have already decided against it, and according to information from the sports show, the European Football Union (UEFA) also does not want to completely follow the example of FIFA in its competitions. However, if the IFAB makes clear specifications, it will be difficult for the European Association and thus also the German Football Association (DFB) to defend themselves against this.