VAR: when can the video referee intervene, and when not?

Debate about VAR has continued ever since its introduction. The rule is in fact narrower than many people think.

The four reviewable situations

VAR can intervene in four cases: goals (including offences in the build-up, offside and handball), penalty decisions, direct red cards (a second yellow does not count) and mistaken identity, when the referee cautions the wrong player.

The "clear and obvious error" threshold

The video referee is not there to overrule subjective judgement. He may only intervene if the on-field decision is a clear and obvious mistake, or if a serious incident was missed entirely. The final decision always belongs to the referee, who can review the incident on the monitor himself.

Why does it sometimes take so long?

Offside is an objective question: play can continue until the decision is made, and the attack can then be reversed. Semi-automated offside technology speeds this up, using camera data and ball sensors to calculate limb positions within seconds, with final confirmation coming from the video room.

What VAR does not solve

Handball, the severity of a foul and whether an action deserves a red card remain matters of interpretation. VAR therefore does not end arguments, it merely shifts them: glaring mistakes have been replaced by finer but no less passionate debates.