European football officials have issued a renewed directive on the use of Video Assistant Referees (VAR), emphasizing that this technology should only intervene in cases of "blatantly incorrect" decisions or clear missed incidents.

This directive emerges after a significant meeting last week involving referee chiefs from all 55 national associations and representatives from the International Football Association Board (Ifab), the governing body responsible for the game's laws. The consensus reached aims to streamline officiating and minimize the impact of lengthy reviews.

A Uefa release stated:

• "VAR must only intervene in situations of ‘clear and obvious’ error, i.e., when a referee decision is blatantly incorrect or when the referee has missed a clear incident. VAR is not meant to re-referee the game; it is an essential support to the referees, who must remain at the center of all decision-making. Lengthy, microscoping reviews are often a symptom revealing that the decision on the field was not clearly and obviously incorrect, and should therefore be limited."

Additionally, the gathering showed unanimous support for measures designed to speed up game restarts, including:

• Time limits for substitutions
• Five-second countdowns for goal kicks and throw-ins

Further clarification was provided regarding the "mistaken identity" protocol, which cannot be applied to incidents of simulation until a comprehensive review is complete. An Ifab circular reminded officials that VARs can only review cautions to identify the correct player who committed an offense, not to review or alter the offense itself.

This clarification follows controversial incidents such as that involving Switzerland's Breel Embolo at the World Cup, where Embolo received a second yellow card after a review overturned a booking for Leandro Paredes.

Roberto Rosetti, Uefa’s director for refereeing, underscored the agreement's significance, stating that it marks a milestone in achieving a consistent approach to officiating. Uefa is also not expected to adopt other optional measures seen at the World Cup, such as red cards for players covering their mouths when speaking to an opponent or VAR checks on corners.