Standing for ‘Video Assistant Referee’, the concept allows certain incidents in a football match to be reviewed by the main referee or by the VAR team. But what exactly is VAR and how does it work? In this article, we explore the technology in more detail.
What is VAR?
VAR stands for video assistant referee. Instead of just one person, a team of officials works together to review decisions made by the main referee. They do this by watching video footage of the relevant occurrences. The team is made up of the main video assistant referee, who is a qualified current or former referee, at least one assistant VAR (AVAR) and a replay operator. They are located in a video operation room that contains various monitors showing different camera angles. In the Premier League, that team works from the VAR Hub at Stockley Park in west London.
VAR can be used to review four types of decision: goals and the violations that precede them, red cards, penalties, and mistaken identity when awarding a card. A decision made by the main referee can be overturned, but for subjective calls it must be a “clear and obvious error” for this to happen. Factual decisions are treated differently. If the footage shows a player was offside, or that a foul took place inside the penalty area rather than outside it, the VAR will intervene no matter how marginal the call is.
Typically, the process for reviewing a decision works in one of two ways: either the VAR team can recommend a review, or the main referee can request a review after making a decision. Under the IFAB VAR protocol, only the referee can initiate a review; the VAR and the other match officials can do no more than recommend one. If the VAR decides that a clear error has been made, they must notify the main referee.
Once this has happened, the referee has three options: they can immediately overturn the decision based on the VAR’s advice, stick with their initial decision, or review the incident themselves on a monitor at the side of the pitch.
How does it work?
Step One – Incident Occurs: When an incident occurs, the referee either informs the VAR or the VAR recommends to the referee that the incident should be reviewed.
Step Two – Review and Advice by the VAR: The video is then studied by the VAR, who notifies the main referee via headset what the footage shows.
Step Three – Decision or Action is Taken: Before making a decision, the referee can review the video footage at the side of the pitch. Alternatively, they can go with the advice of the VAR and take the appropriate action.
Step Four – The Decision is Communicated: The referee makes the TV signal and confirms the outcome. Since the start of the 2025/26 season, Premier League referees announce the result of every VAR review over the stadium PA system, apart from factual offside and onside calls.
when can it be used?
As mentioned previously, there are four situations when VAR can be used in the game.
Goals: goals and offences leading up to the goal, covering offside, handball, a foul in the build-up or the ball going out of play.
Penalties: penalty decisions and offences preceding the penalty, including penalties that were wrongly awarded and penalties that should have been given but were not.
Direct red cards: incidents involving a possible direct red card, such as serious foul play, violent conduct or denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity.
Mistaken identity: where the referee cautions or sends off the wrong player.
VAR cannot review second yellow cards, and it does not get involved in corners, throw-ins or free kicks in general play, according to the IFAB protocol. Essentially, any potential fouls outside of the penalty box will not be reviewed unless they are in the build-up to a goal or penalty decision or are worthy of a red card.
Does the referee call for VAR?
In most cases, the referee will inform the VAR that an incident should be reviewed. However, the VAR can also recommend to the referee that it should be looked at. In practice, the VAR automatically checks every incident that falls into the four reviewable categories, so players and coaches never need to ask for one. As the VAR is only an advisory, the referee can choose whether to take their advice or ignore it.
They don’t have to check a decision, even if the VAR recommends that they do. Unless there is a “clear error” in the original decision, it cannot be overturned. The final decision always rests with the on-field referee.
How are Incidents Reviewed?
Incidents are reviewed in one of two ways.
Firstly, the VAR can inform the main referee that there has been a clear error that does not require the referee to review the footage. Typically, this is a factual matter such as a goal being scored when the player is offside.
The second is known as the on-field review, where the VAR advises the referee to review the footage on a monitor at the side of the pitch. This is the usual route for subjective calls such as fouls, handball and red card challenges.
While a decision is being reviewed, the VAR team study the footage and notify their findings to the referee through an earpiece. The referee will notify the players that a review is under way by pointing to their ear, and will hold up the restart of play at the next stoppage until a decision has been reached. In both types of review, the referee makes the TV signal gesture before coming to a final decision. The referee can then either review the incident at the side of the pitch or accept the VAR information and take the necessary action.
On average, there is an on-field review in one of every three games. The Premier League’s own figures from the first season of VAR give a sense of scale: more than 2,400 incidents were checked in 2019/20 and 109 decisions were overturned, an average of one overturn every 3.5 matches.
Will We Know if a Decision is Being Reviewed?
If the referee is in contact with the VAR, they should point to their ear. Historically, however, this was not always communicated to viewers. An example of this is the 2018 England vs Tunisia game, where the Harry Kane penalty appeals were reviewed. As the decision was made to not take action, the review was not communicated to the audience. According to the VAR, England made a foul in the build-up which made the penalty appeals void.
Communication has improved considerably since then. From the 2025/26 season, Premier League referees announce the outcome of every VAR review over the stadium PA system, apart from factual offside and onside decisions, a practice already used in the FA Cup and EFL Cup. Goals disallowed on the field and confirmed by the VAR, along with every VAR overturn, are shown on the big screens with the clip or screenshot that explains the decision.
The bar for intervention is deliberately high. The VAR is not asking whether they would have made the same call. The question is whether the on-field decision is clearly wrong on the evidence available. If a decision sits in a grey area, it stands.
The Premier League reinforced this in 2024/25 with “Referee’s Call”, which formalises the principle that the official in the middle, who can feel and read the game, is best placed to judge subjective incidents. Their decision stands unless the VAR sees a clear and obvious error in the available footage. According to the Premier League, this approach helped cut average VAR delays from 64 seconds to 39 seconds per match.
Factual decisions are the exception. Offside calls and questions of whether an offence happened inside or outside the penalty area are matters of fact, so the “clear and obvious” test does not apply. If the evidence shows the call was wrong, it is corrected however fine the margin.
How Long Does a VAR Have to Flag up an Incident They Have Spotted?
After an incident, the VAR can intervene until the next time the game restarts. For example, if an incident is spotted by the VAR and the ball goes out of play, they must communicate with the referee to stop the game until they have dealt with it. If they fail to do this and the game is restarted, the decision cannot be overturned.
There is one narrow exception. Under the IFAB protocol, a review can still take place after play has restarted for cases of mistaken identity, or for potential sending-off offences involving violent conduct, spitting, biting or extremely offensive gestures.
If you want to become a footballer have a look at our football trial days here.
What is Semi-Automated Offside Technology?
Semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) supports the VAR on offside decisions rather than replacing them. The Premier League introduced it on 12 April 2025, following live operation in the FA Cup, and it was in use throughout the 2025/26 season.
The system, developed with PGMOL and Genius Sports, uses up to 30 dedicated cameras around each stadium, several of which capture footage at 100 frames per second, twice the frame rate of a typical broadcast camera. It tracks the ball and up to 10,000 data points on each player’s body, then automatically flags possible offsides to the VAR. It is “semi” automated because the VAR still validates the output, such as identifying the exact moment the ball was played, before the decision is confirmed and a graphic is generated for fans in the stadium and at home.
The first live VAR trial took place in a friendly between PSV and FC Eindhoven in July 2016, and the first professional match to use it was a KNVB Cup tie between Ajax and Willem II that September. England’s first competitive use came in an FA Cup tie between Brighton & Hove Albion and Crystal Palace in January 2018.
The Bundesliga and Serie A adopted VAR for the 2017/18 season, with La Liga and Ligue 1 following in 2018/19. The 2018 World Cup in Russia was the first tournament to use it at every match, and Premier League clubs voted unanimously to introduce it for the 2019/20 season.
According to FIFA, VAR is now used in more than 100 competitions worldwide, including the Champions League, Europa League and the men’s and women’s World Cups.
Has VAR Made Decisions More Accurate?
The Premier League’s own numbers say yes. Before VAR was introduced, 82% of key match decisions were correct in 2018/19. That rose to 94 per cent in 2019/20, the first season with VAR. In 2024/25, on-field officials got 86% of key match incidents right, rising to 97 per cent once VAR interventions were counted, according to the league’s independent Key Match Incidents Panel. The number of VAR errors fell from 31 in 2023/24 to 18 in 2024/25.
Accuracy is only half of the argument. Critics point to the delays, the interrupted goal celebrations and the fine margins involved in some overturns. The recent changes, from Referee’s Call to semi-automated offside and in-stadium announcements, are all attempts to keep the accuracy while reducing the cost to the matchday experience.
In Summary
Allowing the referee to review incidents and overturn the initial decision, VAR is now an essential piece of technology in football. Video assistant referees are already being used in the Premier League, Champions League and Europa League as well as many leagues across Europe.
The system also keeps evolving, with semi-automated offside technology and in-stadium referee announcements the most recent additions.
No. The VAR is advisory and can only recommend that a decision is reviewed or changed. The final decision on every incident rests with the on-field referee, who is free to stick with their original call.
Can VAR review yellow cards?
No. VAR only deals with direct red card incidents, and second yellow cards are not reviewable. The one card-related exception is mistaken identity, where the referee has clearly cautioned or sent off the wrong player.
Yes. Every goal is checked for offside, handball, a foul in the build-up and the ball going out of play. Most of these are silent checks completed while players celebrate, so the game restarts without any delay.
Who acts as the VAR?
VARs are qualified match officials. In the Premier League, they are appointed by Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) as part of the refereeing team for each match round.
VAR Explained: What is it and How Does it Work?
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Conceived by the Refereeing 2.0 project in 2010, VAR is now used in more than 100 competitions worldwide and has been part of the Laws of the Game since the 2018/19 edition.
Standing for ‘Video Assistant Referee’, the concept allows certain incidents in a football match to be reviewed by the main referee or by the VAR team. But what exactly is VAR and how does it work? In this article, we explore the technology in more detail.
What is VAR?
VAR stands for video assistant referee. Instead of just one person, a team of officials works together to review decisions made by the main referee. They do this by watching video footage of the relevant occurrences. The team is made up of the main video assistant referee, who is a qualified current or former referee, at least one assistant VAR (AVAR) and a replay operator. They are located in a video operation room that contains various monitors showing different camera angles. In the Premier League, that team works from the VAR Hub at Stockley Park in west London.
VAR can be used to review four types of decision: goals and the violations that precede them, red cards, penalties, and mistaken identity when awarding a card. A decision made by the main referee can be overturned, but for subjective calls it must be a “clear and obvious error” for this to happen. Factual decisions are treated differently. If the footage shows a player was offside, or that a foul took place inside the penalty area rather than outside it, the VAR will intervene no matter how marginal the call is.
Typically, the process for reviewing a decision works in one of two ways: either the VAR team can recommend a review, or the main referee can request a review after making a decision. Under the IFAB VAR protocol, only the referee can initiate a review; the VAR and the other match officials can do no more than recommend one. If the VAR decides that a clear error has been made, they must notify the main referee.
Once this has happened, the referee has three options: they can immediately overturn the decision based on the VAR’s advice, stick with their initial decision, or review the incident themselves on a monitor at the side of the pitch.
How does it work?
when can it be used?
As mentioned previously, there are four situations when VAR can be used in the game.
VAR cannot review second yellow cards, and it does not get involved in corners, throw-ins or free kicks in general play, according to the IFAB protocol. Essentially, any potential fouls outside of the penalty box will not be reviewed unless they are in the build-up to a goal or penalty decision or are worthy of a red card.
Does the referee call for VAR?
In most cases, the referee will inform the VAR that an incident should be reviewed. However, the VAR can also recommend to the referee that it should be looked at. In practice, the VAR automatically checks every incident that falls into the four reviewable categories, so players and coaches never need to ask for one. As the VAR is only an advisory, the referee can choose whether to take their advice or ignore it.
They don’t have to check a decision, even if the VAR recommends that they do. Unless there is a “clear error” in the original decision, it cannot be overturned. The final decision always rests with the on-field referee.
How are Incidents Reviewed?
Incidents are reviewed in one of two ways.
Firstly, the VAR can inform the main referee that there has been a clear error that does not require the referee to review the footage. Typically, this is a factual matter such as a goal being scored when the player is offside.
The second is known as the on-field review, where the VAR advises the referee to review the footage on a monitor at the side of the pitch. This is the usual route for subjective calls such as fouls, handball and red card challenges.
While a decision is being reviewed, the VAR team study the footage and notify their findings to the referee through an earpiece. The referee will notify the players that a review is under way by pointing to their ear, and will hold up the restart of play at the next stoppage until a decision has been reached. In both types of review, the referee makes the TV signal gesture before coming to a final decision. The referee can then either review the incident at the side of the pitch or accept the VAR information and take the necessary action.
On average, there is an on-field review in one of every three games. The Premier League’s own figures from the first season of VAR give a sense of scale: more than 2,400 incidents were checked in 2019/20 and 109 decisions were overturned, an average of one overturn every 3.5 matches.
Will We Know if a Decision is Being Reviewed?
If the referee is in contact with the VAR, they should point to their ear. Historically, however, this was not always communicated to viewers. An example of this is the 2018 England vs Tunisia game, where the Harry Kane penalty appeals were reviewed. As the decision was made to not take action, the review was not communicated to the audience. According to the VAR, England made a foul in the build-up which made the penalty appeals void.
Communication has improved considerably since then. From the 2025/26 season, Premier League referees announce the outcome of every VAR review over the stadium PA system, apart from factual offside and onside decisions, a practice already used in the FA Cup and EFL Cup. Goals disallowed on the field and confirmed by the VAR, along with every VAR overturn, are shown on the big screens with the clip or screenshot that explains the decision.
The Premier League Match Centre account on X also clarifies referee decisions and VAR interventions as they happen.
What Counts as a “Clear and Obvious Error”?
The bar for intervention is deliberately high. The VAR is not asking whether they would have made the same call. The question is whether the on-field decision is clearly wrong on the evidence available. If a decision sits in a grey area, it stands.
The Premier League reinforced this in 2024/25 with “Referee’s Call”, which formalises the principle that the official in the middle, who can feel and read the game, is best placed to judge subjective incidents. Their decision stands unless the VAR sees a clear and obvious error in the available footage. According to the Premier League, this approach helped cut average VAR delays from 64 seconds to 39 seconds per match.
Factual decisions are the exception. Offside calls and questions of whether an offence happened inside or outside the penalty area are matters of fact, so the “clear and obvious” test does not apply. If the evidence shows the call was wrong, it is corrected however fine the margin.
How Long Does a VAR Have to Flag up an Incident They Have Spotted?
After an incident, the VAR can intervene until the next time the game restarts. For example, if an incident is spotted by the VAR and the ball goes out of play, they must communicate with the referee to stop the game until they have dealt with it. If they fail to do this and the game is restarted, the decision cannot be overturned.
There is one narrow exception. Under the IFAB protocol, a review can still take place after play has restarted for cases of mistaken identity, or for potential sending-off offences involving violent conduct, spitting, biting or extremely offensive gestures.
If you want to become a footballer have a look at our football trial days here.
What is Semi-Automated Offside Technology?
Semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) supports the VAR on offside decisions rather than replacing them. The Premier League introduced it on 12 April 2025, following live operation in the FA Cup, and it was in use throughout the 2025/26 season.
The system, developed with PGMOL and Genius Sports, uses up to 30 dedicated cameras around each stadium, several of which capture footage at 100 frames per second, twice the frame rate of a typical broadcast camera. It tracks the ball and up to 10,000 data points on each player’s body, then automatically flags possible offsides to the VAR. It is “semi” automated because the VAR still validates the output, such as identifying the exact moment the ball was played, before the decision is confirmed and a graphic is generated for fans in the stadium and at home.
UEFA introduced SAOT in the Champions League from the 2022/23 season, and FIFA used it at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. In its first season in the Premier League, the technology saved around 27 seconds per offside decision.was
Which Leagues and Competitions Use VAR?
The first live VAR trial took place in a friendly between PSV and FC Eindhoven in July 2016, and the first professional match to use it was a KNVB Cup tie between Ajax and Willem II that September. England’s first competitive use came in an FA Cup tie between Brighton & Hove Albion and Crystal Palace in January 2018.
The Bundesliga and Serie A adopted VAR for the 2017/18 season, with La Liga and Ligue 1 following in 2018/19. The 2018 World Cup in Russia was the first tournament to use it at every match, and Premier League clubs voted unanimously to introduce it for the 2019/20 season.
According to FIFA, VAR is now used in more than 100 competitions worldwide, including the Champions League, Europa League and the men’s and women’s World Cups.
Has VAR Made Decisions More Accurate?
The Premier League’s own numbers say yes. Before VAR was introduced, 82% of key match decisions were correct in 2018/19. That rose to 94 per cent in 2019/20, the first season with VAR. In 2024/25, on-field officials got 86% of key match incidents right, rising to 97 per cent once VAR interventions were counted, according to the league’s independent Key Match Incidents Panel. The number of VAR errors fell from 31 in 2023/24 to 18 in 2024/25.
Accuracy is only half of the argument. Critics point to the delays, the interrupted goal celebrations and the fine margins involved in some overturns. The recent changes, from Referee’s Call to semi-automated offside and in-stadium announcements, are all attempts to keep the accuracy while reducing the cost to the matchday experience.
In Summary
Allowing the referee to review incidents and overturn the initial decision, VAR is now an essential piece of technology in football. Video assistant referees are already being used in the Premier League, Champions League and Europa League as well as many leagues across Europe.
The system also keeps evolving, with semi-automated offside technology and in-stadium referee announcements the most recent additions.
Read more on VAR from the Premier League’s VAR hub and FIFA’s guide to VAR technology.
FAQs
Can VAR overrule the referee?
No. The VAR is advisory and can only recommend that a decision is reviewed or changed. The final decision on every incident rests with the on-field referee, who is free to stick with their original call.
Can VAR review yellow cards?
No. VAR only deals with direct red card incidents, and second yellow cards are not reviewable. The one card-related exception is mistaken identity, where the referee has clearly cautioned or sent off the wrong player.
Can players ask for a VAR review?
No. Every incident in the reviewable categories is checked automatically, so there is nothing to request. In the Premier League, players or club staff who aggressively make the TV signal to a match official are shown a yellow card.
Is every goal checked by VAR?
Yes. Every goal is checked for offside, handball, a foul in the build-up and the ball going out of play. Most of these are silent checks completed while players celebrate, so the game restarts without any delay.
Who acts as the VAR?
VARs are qualified match officials. In the Premier League, they are appointed by Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) as part of the refereeing team for each match round.
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