Proposals to scrap the technology will receive little attention from European football’s governing body
Uefa is preparing to bring Europe’s leading domestic leagues together after this summer’s World Cup to have conversations regarding how video assistant refereeing (VAR) is used across the game.
The governing body wants a more consistent, but also possibly less, use of VAR amid the ongoing debate over how much intervention is appropriate in modern football. There are concerns that the system has become far too intrusive and Uefa is open to discussions about streamlining its use.
Chief refereeing officer Roberto Rosetti has been vocal in calling for restraint in how VAR is applied, warning that excessive interventions have slowed and disrupted the flow of the game.
“At the end of the season we need to speak about this, because we cannot go in this direction of microscopic VAR interventions,” Rosetti said. “We love football like it is.”
Some proposals to expand VAR’s role to review corners or second yellow cards have been discussed at the international level and will indeed be tested in this summer’s World Cup, but for club football, Uefa’s preference is to limit its scope and ensure decisions are made quickly and efficiently.
Some fans and pundits have notably called for the complete scrapping of the technology. However, it is unlikely that Uefa or any of the leagues will go in this direction. European football’s governing body maintains that VAR has improved fairness in the game and is here to stay. It believes removing it would only create greater inconsistency rather than resolve existing concerns.
