If you haven’t yet read the article VAR System – In Which Situations Can It Be Used?, make sure to do so before reading this one.
🎥 VAR – Frequently Asked Questions
Can the referee decide on their own to review an incident on the monitor?
✅ Yes. According to the VAR Protocol, the referee has the right to do so. The Laws of the Game state: “The referee may initiate a video review of an incident that could potentially represent a clear and obvious error or a serious missed incident when the VAR (or another match official) recommends a review, or when the referee suspects that something serious has been missed.”
Does VAR have the authority to change the referee’s decision?
🛑 No, the final decision always rests with the referee. It may be based on information provided by the VAR (for example, identifying a marginal offside or confirming that a foul occurred outside rather than inside the penalty area) or taken after an on-field review at the monitor (OFR = On-Field Review).
A player clearly kicks an opponent outside the penalty area. The referee was facing away and did not see the foul, so play continues. Can VAR call the referee to the monitor to change the decision?
❌ No, VAR cannot intervene in this case. When an offence (e.g., a kick, handball, stamp, or trip) occurs outside the penalty area, even if it is clear and obvious, VAR cannot recommend that the referee go to the monitor. Video assistants can only act if the foul occurs inside the penalty area, since such incidents fall within one of the four categories in which VAR is permitted to intervene.
The referee awards a penalty after a foul on an opponent inside the penalty area. The first camera angle suggests a foul, but another raises doubts about the penalty. What should VAR do?
🔍 VAR intervenes only in cases of a clear and obvious error by the referee. In the described situation, it cannot be determined with absolute certainty whether the referee was wrong. This is known as a “grey area”, and in such cases VAR cannot intervene. A borderline incident remains at the discretion of the on-field referee, whose original decision stands — unless the referee themselves initiates a review and chooses to watch the incident on the monitor.
A goal is scored after a wrongly awarded corner kick. Can VAR disallow the goal?
🛑 No, for two reasons. First, each restart of play constitutes a new phase of play, so it is not possible to go back to an error that occurred in the previous one. Second, VAR cannot suggest to the referee which team should have been awarded the corner, as that matter does not fall within the four categories of reviewable incidents.
How long can the review of a specific incident take?
⏱️ There is no time limit for conducting a video review. Accuracy takes precedence over speed.
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