Roberto Rossetti: Some VAR checks 'not related to football'

According to Bbc.

Why is this important

Roberto Rossetti's criticism of VAR highlights growing dissatisfaction among fans and pundits over the system's impact on football. The launch of the Clear Line portal could help improve understanding of VAR and restore confidence in refereeing decisions. This is especially important given the mixed interpretations of the rules in different leagues.

Key takeaways

• Roberto Rossetti: Some VAR checks 'not related to football'
• UEFA head of refereeing Roberto Rossetti criticized some VAR decisions, saying they were not in line with the spirit of the game.
• VAR: Uefa referees' chief Roberto Rosetti says some reviews 'not connected to football' - BBC Sport.

UEFA head of refereeing Roberto Rossetti said some VAR checks were "not related to football" after meeting with chiefs of Europe's top leagues last month. Rossetti made the criticism as part of the launch of the new Clear Line portal, which is designed to explain to fans when VAR should and should not intervene in a game. The meeting was attended by senior officials from England, Spain, Germany, France and Italy, who discussed the need for a more uniform approach to decision-making.

"We understand that no one is currently satisfied with how VAR affects football," Rossetti said. "So we want to avoid situations that are too detailed. Context is of great importance. This is football, not PlayStation. We have to be very careful. The referee must referee the match. This is important for football, for clear situations and obvious mistakes."

Rossetti acknowledged that it would be difficult to achieve a consistent approach across all leagues, each of which has its own interpretation of some violations. The hand situation in particular continues to cause problems in football. Last season the Premier League saw the fewest handball penalties, with one in every 17.27 matches. This is followed by the Bundesliga with 10.93, La Liga with 10.56, Serie A with 10.00 and Ligue 1 with 9.27.In the Champions League, penalties were awarded every seven matches, the highest rate in Europe, highlighting the difficulty of reaching consensus between competitions.

UEFA's Clear Line portal contains video examples of hand situations to explain what is considered a foul. “The idea is to ensure a more consistent application of the rules,” Rossetti added. "The perception of hand violations is different in England. Football is not perfect and sometimes we will continue to face similar situations interpreted differently. But at least we are working together."

There is also a significant difference in the use of VAR between the Champions League and the Premier League. In the 2025-26 season, the Premier League recorded the lowest level of interference in Europe at 0.29 per match, compared with 0.47 in the Champions League. Rossetti noted that too many checks affect the behavior of players who are trying to earn decisions through VAR. "We want to go back to the roots of VAR," Rossetti said, citing incidents such as Diego Maradona's famous "Hand of God" goal at the 1986 World Cup. "We don't like using VAR like that anymore. We want to go back a little bit and put the referees back in the spotlight."

Rossetti also expressed concern about the time spent on VAR checks, with lengthy checks with multiple replays becoming less palatable to spectators. Any review longer than 90 seconds risks "losing trust," he said. A new collective rule has been agreed upon whereby the referee will be shown a frozen image on a monitor to determine the moment of contact, then slow motion and full speed to assess the intensity of the foul. “We like referees with character who make decisions on the pitch, and VAR should only intervene in obvious situations,” concluded Rossetti.

Rossetti described the Clear Line portal as "a guide for all people in football", not just referees. It covers every area that VAR covers - penalties, red cards, attacking fouls, factual decisions and mistaken identity - in detail with video examples. “We started thinking about how we could help everyone understand VAR better,” he said. “This is a library, a framework, a document in which we explain when and how VAR will intervene. This is not a web page for judges. This is a space you can go to after a Champions League match to check how an incident compares to this library. This is for the clubs, for the players, for the fans.

What happens next

The new Clear Line portal is expected to be an important tool for clarifying VAR rules and will help establish a more consistent approach to refereeing across European football. Rossetti and his team will continue to work to improve communication between leagues to minimize differences in rule interpretation. It is important that judges remain at the center of the process and not rely solely on technology.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Roberto Rossetti say about VAR?

Roberto Rossetti said that some VAR checks are “not related to football.”

Why did Rossetti criticize VAR?

He made his criticism after meeting with the heads of Europe's top leagues, discussing the need for a more uniform approach to decision-making.

What is the Clear Line portal?

The Clear Line portal is designed to explain to fans when VAR should and should not intervene in a game.

What problems with VAR were discussed at the meeting of referee officials?

Problems with the interpretation of violations were discussed, in particular the situation with the hand, which continues to cause difficulties.

What is the purpose of creating the Clear Line portal?

The purpose of creating the portal is to create a more consistent understanding of VAR rules among fans.

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