VAR: The Seven Decisions That Change Matches Most

VAR was never designed to remove controversy. It was designed to correct clear and obvious errors. In practice, seven categories account for most of the debate every season.

1. Offside in the build-up phase

The hard part is not the line but defining when an attacking phase begins and ends. A player in an offside position who never touches the ball is judged on whether he interferes with an opponent or gains an advantage.

2. Handball in the box

The law now looks at arm position relative to natural body movement. An arm outside the body silhouette moving towards the ball is almost always penalised; an arm tight to the body after a deflection usually is not.

3. Holding at set pieces

Holding happens at almost every corner. What decides it is not whether contact occurred but whether it was enough to bring a player down — the most subjective category of all.

4. Serious foul play

Four criteria: speed, intensity, direction of attack and point of contact. One can be enough if speed and intensity are extreme.

5. Goals ruled out for a foul in the build-up

VAR can only review back to the start of the attacking phase. A foul 40 seconds and 15 passes earlier usually does not overturn a goal.

6. Mistaken identity

A card shown to the wrong player can be corrected, but only for identity — not for judgement.

7. Ball out of play

Goal-line technology only says whether the ball crossed the line. VAR still has to establish whether it went out of play earlier in the move.

What cannot be changed

VAR cannot overturn a decision on a referee’s “feel”. It needs a clear and obvious error or a serious missed incident. Understanding that difference saves a lot of frustration.