VAR Review Process

VAR operates from a Video Operation Room (VOR), staffed by a trained VAR official and an assistant VAR (AVAR). They monitor every incident in all four reviewable categories using a suite of camera angles. The VAR communicates with the on-field referee via headset throughout the game. When a potential error is identified, the VAR assesses whether it is a clear and obvious error. Only if the on-field decision was clearly wrong — not merely debatable — should the VAR intervene.

If the VAR believes an error was made, they recommend an on-field review. The referee then walks to the review monitor on the touchline and watches the relevant footage themselves before making or confirming a decision. The referee is not obliged to change their decision after an OFR — they may review the footage and conclude their original call was correct. For offside calls, the VAR draws lines and determines the decision centrally, so the referee typically does not visit the monitor for offside — the VAR makes the call directly.

VAR can only intervene in goals (checking for fouls, offside, or handball in the build-up), penalty incidents (fouls or handball inside the area), direct red card decisions (not second yellow cards), and mistaken identity (when the referee cautions or dismisses the wrong player). Yellow cards, indirect free kicks, dangerous play calls, and throw-in/goal kick decisions are not reviewable by VAR. This limitation has been a source of frustration in cases where a significant foul missed by the referee does not qualify for review.

VAR has been widely criticised for disrupting the flow of the game and for producing decisions that feel more bureaucratic than just. The 2019 Champions League semi-final between Tottenham and Manchester City became a symbol of VAR controversy when two goals were disallowed in minutes. FIFA and IFAB have continuously refined protocols — capping review times, improving automated offside technology, and consulting with fan bodies about transparency. Some leagues now display the video footage on stadium screens during reviews to help fans follow decisions in real time.