May 27 – The UEFA Champions League represents the pinnacle of club football in Europe, generating millions in revenue. That makes every refereeing decision potentially critical. Aston Villa learned this harsh reality following a controversial call at Old Trafford on Sunday that cost them qualification.
April 4 – Hawk-Eye Innovations, the company responsible for the VAR system in the Bulgarian championship efbet Liga, has launched an internal investigation after an incident with one of its VAR operators during the match between CSKA Sofia and Lokomotiv Sofia on Wednesday.
March 3 – After months of contention, Norwegian football has voted to retain the use of VAR at the elite level following the federation’s congress on Saturday.
February 14 – English football will use semi-automated offside technology for the first time in the fifth round of the FA Cup at the start of March.
February 5 – There have been 13 video assistant referee (VAR) mistakes in the Premier League so far this season, according to league bosses.
January 30 – The Norwegian FA (NFF) has launched a defence of VAR in a bid to retain it, after NFF president Lise Klaveness (pictured) and her board met on Wednesday to consider the future of the technology following opposition from fans, who threw fish cakes on to a pitch last year in protest, and clubs, who have voted to get rid of it.
January 8 – With Tottenham Hotspur spiralling in the Premier League, and boss, Ange Postecoglou under huge pressure, the timing of a new VAR (Video Assistant Referee) system has the Australian fuming.
August 14 – Sports data and technology company Genius Sports has been appointed as the Premier League’s Semi-Automated Officiating supplier as part of an agreement aimed at improving offside decision making.
July 29 – FIFA has rejected Argentina’s complaints over a controversial last-minute equaliser being ruled out at the opening match of the Olympic football tournament against Morocco.
July 11 – Dutch manager Ronald Koeman has argued that “VAR is destroying the game” after England were awarded a controversial penalty in the Netherlands’ 2-1 exit at Euro 2024.
July 8 – The Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) is to bring in goal-line technology for the first time for the top tier of the efbet League next season.
July 4 – South American governing body Conmebol has admitted that VAR committed a mistake by not awarding Brazil a penalty in their final group game against Colombia following a foul on Vinicius Junior.
June 30 – Denmark manager Kasper Hjulmand has taken aim at football’s “ridiculous” handball rule after his side were beaten 2-0 by Germany in a controversial, storm-ravaged last-16 tie that was settled in the space of two dramatic minutes.
June 21 – It wasn’t a classic but it was certainly an entertaining and full blooded encounter as the two big dogs in Group D, France and the Netherlands, squared off in Leipzig to share the points in a 0-0 draw.
June 12 – The Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) is to invest an additional BGN 200,000 (€100,000) per season to improve the VAR system in the Bulgarian first division – the efbet League. Currently, the BFU pays BGN 1 million (€500,000) per season for VAR.