December 13 – The use of video assistant referees for marginal offside decisions, which has caused so much consternation throughout Europe, could be amended next season if a joint bid by UEFA and the British football associations succeeds.
Offsides and handball have been the two most controversial aspects of VAR with players having goals ruled out after being judged offside via their armpit or the width of a toe.
According to The Times newspaper, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin met executives from the English, Scottish and Northern Irish FAs for talks on the issue last week.
The four federations, along with FIFA, comprise the International FA Board (IFAB), the only body that can amend the laws of the game.
The newspaper said various parties agreed to work on changing the use of VAR so offsides are judged on ‘clear and obvious error’, which VAR is supposed to be about, rather than marginal decisions.
FIFA must agree to UEFA’s proposal to change the protocol, before it is taken to IFAB for its annual general meeting in Belfast on February 29.
At a meeting earlier this month, IFAB discussed the use of VAR and said there was “a growing demand for more immediate information about the referee’s final decision”.
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