VIDEO ASSISTANT REFEREES · 2017-09-25 · The International Football Association Board Münstergasse 9 8001 Zurich Switzerland T: +41 (0)44 245 1886 F: +41 (0)44 245 1887 theifab.com

The International Football Association Board Münstergasse 9 8001 Zurich Switzerland T: +41 (0)44 245 1886 F: +41 (0)44 245 1887 theifab.com

167

VIDEOASSISTANTREFEREES (VARs)

Implementationhandbookforcompetitionsconductingliveexperimentswithvideoassistanceforclear

errorsinmatch-changingsituations

‘minimuminterference–maximumbenefit’

Version8

April2017

ChangessinceVersion7(January2017)areshowninmaroonandaremainlyinresponse

toquestionsfromparticipatingcompetitions

2/67

Contents

1. Introduction 4

2. SummaryofVARprotocol 5

3. Reviewabledecisions 9

4. Scopeoftheexperiment 10

5. Reviewprocess 11

5.1 General 11

5.2 Reviewtimelines 19

5.3 Footageusedforreviews 23

5.4 LocationandroleoftheVideoAssistantReferee(VAR)24

6. CommunicationbetweenRefereeandVAR266.1 General 26

6.2 Checks 27

6.3 Reviewcommunicationsteps 28

6.4 Restartingplayafterareview 29

6.5 AddedTime 29

6.6 Bestpractice-communication 29

7. Experimenttimelines 32

8. Protocolclarifications 34

8.1 Advantage 34

8.2 Balloutofplay 34

8.3 Disciplinaryaction–rescindingcards 34

8.4 Disciplinaryaction–yellowcards 34

8.5 Goalscoredafterapossiblepenaltyattheotherendof

thefieldofplay 35

8.6 Goalscoredbefore/during/afterawhistle 35

8.7 Goalscoredfromanindirectfreekick 37

8.8 MisapplicationofLaw 36

8.9 Multiplereview 36

8.10 Neutralzone 36

3/67

8.11 PenaltyKicksandKicksfromthePenaltyMark(KFPM) 36

8.12 Restartdecisioncannotbechangedafterplayrestarted 378.13 Clearmistakeidentifiedafterhalftime/fulltimewhistle378.14 Check’forredcardidentifiesa‘missed’yellowcard378.15 Noconsultationbeforedecidingredoryellowcard388.16 Offencebyasubstituteorteamofficial 38

8.17 Missedpenaltykickbutoffsideinthebuild-up 38

8.18 Timeallowanceforareview 38

9. Refereeeducation 38

9.1 General 38

9.2 WhocanbeaVideoAssistantReferee? 39

9.3 Educationprogrammes 39

9.4 Trainingtopics 43

9.5 Trainingmaterial 47

9.6RecommendationsfromFIFAClubWorldCup 48

10. Analysingthedata 50

10.1General 50

10.2Datacollection 51

10.3Dataanalysis 51

10.4Education 51

11. Technologyandorganisation 52

11.1Technology 52

11.2Organisationalmatters 59

12. Matchdayorganisation 62

12.1 Videoreviewmatchtimeline 62

12.2 Videooperationroom(VOR)setupchecklist 62

12.3 Teamlists(gamenotices) 63

12.4 VARpre-matchbestpractice 63

12.5 VARin-matchbestpractice 64

13. PRandcommunication 65

14. Glossary 67

4/67

1. Introduction

The130thAnnualGeneralMeeting(AGM)ofTheInternationalFootballAssociationBoard

(TheIFAB)inCardiffon5March2016approvedatwo-yearperiodof ‘liveexperiments

withvideoassistanceforclearerrorsinmatch-changingsituations’involvinga(ormore)

Video Assistant Referee (VAR – pronounced V-A-R), who will be a match official, to

determineif‘theimplementationofVARsimprovesthegame’.

TheaimoftheexperimentisNOTtoachieve100%accuracyforalldecisionsasthereis

nodesire todestroy theessential flowandemotionsof footballwhichresult fromthe

game’s almost non-stop action and the general absence of lengthy stoppages. The

philosophyis:

‘minimuminterference–maximumbenefit’

Toensurethatthereferee(nottheVAR)isthekeymatchofficial,therefereewillALWAYS

makeadecision(excepta‘missed’usually‘offtheball’incident),includingthedecision

thatnooffencehasoccurred.Thereferee’sdecisioncanONLYBECHANGEDifthevideo

reviewshowsaCLEARERRORi.e.not‘wasthedecisioncorrect?’but:

‘wasthedecisionclearlywrong?’

NationalFAsandcompetitionsareonlypermitted to takepart inexperiments (oruse

VARs)withthepermissionofTheIFAB.PermissionwillonlybegrantedwhereTheIFAB

protocols will be used in full and The IFAB’s referee-VAR education and technical

requirementshavebeenfulfilled:

‘oneprotocol–usedbyall’

5/67

2. SummaryofVARprotocol

Reviewabledecisions

Matchofficialsmakehundredsofdecisionsineverymatch, includingdecisionsthatan

offencehasnotoccurred.Itwouldbeimpossible,withoutcompletelychangingfootball,

torevieweverydecision.Thus,theexperimentlimitstheuseofVARstofourcategories

ofmatch-changingdecisions/incidents:

• Goals

• Penalty/nopenaltydecisions

• Directredcards(not2ndyellowcards)

• Mistakenidentity

In all these situations, the VAR is only used after the referee has made a decision

(includingallowingplaytocontinue),orifaseriousincidentis‘missed’i.e.notseenby

thematchofficials.

Principles

TherearetwelveprincipleswhicharethefoundationoftheVARexperiment:

1. Videotechnologywillonlybeusedtocorrectclearerrorsandformissedserious

incidentsindefinedmatch-changingdecisions:goal,penalty/nopenalty,directred

cardandmistakenidentity(e.g.therefereecautions/sendsoffthewrongplayer).

2. Thefinaldecisionwillalwaysbetakenbythereferee.

3. VideoAssistantReferees(VARs)arematchofficials-anyinformationtheVARs

providetotherefereewillbetreatedbytherefereeinthesamewayasinformation

receivedfromanassistantreferee,additionalassistantrefereeorthefourthofficial.

4. TherefereemustalwaysmakeadecisionregardlessoftheexistenceofVARsi.e.

therefereeisnotpermittedtogive‘nodecision’andreferthesituationtotheVAR.If

therefereedecidesnottostopplayforanallegedoffence,thedecision(toallowplay

to continue) can be reviewed. On rare occasions, when it is unclear whether a

penalisedcautionable(YC)offenceisasending-off(RC),orwhoshouldreceivethe

sanction,therefereemayconsulttheVAR.

5. Theoriginaldecisiongivenbytherefereewillnotbechangedunless thevideo

reviewclearlyshowsthatthedecisionwasclearlywrong.

6. Onlytherefereecaninitiateareview;theVAR(andtheothermatchofficials)can

onlyrecommendareviewtothereferee.

7. Whateverthereviewprocess,thereisnotimepressuretoreviewthedecisionquickly

asaccuracyismoreimportantthanspeed.

8. The players and team officials must not surround the referee or attempt to

influenceifadecisionisreviewed,thereviewprocessorthefinaldecision.Aplayer

whousesthe‘reviewsignal’willbecautioned(YC).

6/67

9. Therefereeshould,asfaraspossible,remain‘visible’duringthereviewprocess

toensuretransparency.

10. Ifplaycontinuesafteranincidentwhichisthenreviewed,anydisciplinaryactiontaken/requiredduringthepost-incidentperiodisnotcancelled,eveniftheoriginal

decision is changed (except a caution/send-off for stopping a promising attack or

DOGSO).

11. Thereisamaximumperiodbeforeandafteranincidentthatcanbereviewed.12. TheVARprotocol,asfaraspossible,conformstotheprinciplesandphilosophyof

theLawsoftheGame.

Reviewprocess

TheVARwillwatchthegameonTVscreensinthevideooperationroom(VOR)which

may be in/near to the stadium or in amore central location (e.g.match centre). For

integrity/transparency/credibility,theVAR,assistedbyareplayoperator(RO),willhave

independentaccessto,andreplaycontrolof,allbroadcast‘feeds’soanyreviewusesthe

samefootageasthatwhichmaybeseenontelevision.TheintegrityoftheVARsystem

would be undermined if the broadcaster could show footage not available to the

VAR/refereewhichcontradictstheVAR/refereedecision.

TheVARwillautomatically‘check’everysituation/decisiontoseeifapotentialclearerror

hasbeenmade inamatch-changingsituationor ifaserious incident/offencehasbeen

missed;thereisthusnoneedforcoachesorplayerstorequestareviewas,ifsomething

hasbeenmissed,itwillbeseenbytheVAR.

Ifnoreviewisneededthencommunicationwiththerefereeisnotnecessary–thisisa

‘silentcheck’.Ifa‘check’indicatesthatanincidentshouldbereviewed,therefereeshould

beinformedimmediately.Inaddition,iftherefereesuspectsthatamajorerrormayhave

occurred,orsomethingserioushasbeenmissed,areviewcanberequested.

Only therefereecan initiateareview–othermatchofficials (especially theVAR)may

recommendareviewbutonlytherefereewilldecidewhetherornottohaveareviewand

theoutcomeofthatreview.Therefereemaydecidethatthematchofficialshaveclearly

seentheincidentandthereforenoreviewisneeded.

Iftherefereewantsareviewwhenplayhasnotstopped,playshouldbestoppedassoon

asitisina‘neutral’zone/situationi.e.whenneitherteamhasagoodattackingpossibility.

Therefereemustclearlyindicatethatthereviewprocesshasbeeninitiatedbyvisually

showingtheoutlineofaTVscreen;adecisioncannotbechangedunlessthereviewsignal

hasbeenshown.Therestartofplaymustbedelayeduntiltheendofthereview;referees

mustpreventthe‘offending’team/playerrestartingplaytopreventareview.

7/67

Oncethereviewisinitiated,therefereehastheoptionto:

• makeadecisionbasedonlyontheinformationreceivedfromtheVARor

• reviewthefootagedirectlybeforemakingafinaldecision(on-fieldreview–OFR)

OFRswill bemainly for ‘subjective’ decisions or to assist match control or to ‘sell’ a

decision.AnOFRshouldnotbeneededfor factualdecisionssuchasthepositionofan

offenceorplayer(e.g.offside),pointofcontactonthebodyforhandballorafoul,ballout

ofplayetc.

Therefereecanwatchfootageinnormalspeed&/orinslowmotionbut,ingeneral,slow

motion replays should only be used for ‘point of contact’ for physical offences and

handball;normalspeedshouldbeusedforthe‘intensity’ofanoffenceortodecideifa

handballwas ‘deliberate’. Theothermatchofficialswill not review the footageunless

askedtodosobythereferee.

Forredcardoffences(exceptDOGSO),onlytheincidentisreviewed.Forgoals,penalty

incidentsandDOGSOoffences,therefereecanreviewtheplayasfarbackasthestartof

theattackingmovewhichledtotheincidentand,ifrelevant,howpossessionoftheball

wasgainedatthestartofthatphaseofplay.TheLawsoftheGamedonotallowrestart

decisions(cornerkicks,throw-insetc.)tobechangedonceplayhasrestarted,sotheycan

notbereviewed.

Attheendofthereviewprocess,therefereewillmakethefinaldecisionandwillclearly

indicatetheoutcomeofthereview,take/change/rescindanydisciplinaryaction(where

appropriate)andensurethecorrectrestartofthegame.

Whilst the review process should be completed as efficiently/quickly as possible,

accuracyismoreimportantthanspeed.Playersandteamofficialsmustnotattemptto

influenceorinterferewiththereviewprocess.AplayerwhoshowstheTVsignwillbe

cautioned(YC);anyoneentering therefereereviewarea (RRA)willbecautioned(YC)

(player/substitute)ordismissed(teamofficial).

Amatchisnotinvalidatedbecauseof:

• malfunction(s)oftheVARtechnology(asforgoallinetechnology(GLT)• wrongdecision(s)involvingtheVAR(astheVARisamatchofficial)• decision(s)nottoreviewanincident• review(s)ofanon-reviewablesituation

8/67

Refereeeducation

ConsiderabletimeandresourceswillbeneededtoeducaterefereesandVARstousethe

VAR system effectively, especially when under pressure in key or complex match-

changing situations. This education will be of fundamental importance to the VAR

experiment.Theeducationwillaimtodevelopanefficientreviewprocessto:

• achieveahighlevelofaccuracyindeterminingwhetheradecision/incidentwillbe

reviewedandinthe‘final’(post-review)decision• minimisethetimetakenforthereview,withoutsacrificingaccuracy Analysingthedata

The IFAB has appointed KU Leuven (Belgium), a university with considerable

referee/football experience, to gather and analyse the experiment data. However the

developedresearchscopeandtheresultsoftheanalysiswillbepeerreviewedbytwo

additionaluniversitiesbeforetheyarepresentedtoTheIFAB.

Decisiontime-line

TheIFABhopestomakeadecisionaboutVARsin2018,orin2019atthelatest.

9/67

3. Reviewabledecisions

Matchofficialsmakehundredsofdecisionsineverymatch, includingdecisionsthatan

offencehasnotoccurred.Itwouldbeimpossible,withoutcompletelychangingfootball,

torevieweverydecision.BasedontheinitialworkandrecommendationsbyKNVBand

feedback fromstakeholdersandThe IFAB’sAdvisoryPanels,The IFABAGMapproved

threemaincategoriesof‘game-changing’decisionaswellasone‘administrative’asthe

onlydecisions1tobeincludedintheVARexperiments.Thus,theexperimentlimitsthe

useofVARsto4categoriesofdecision/incident:

a.Goals

• offside:positionandoffence

• offencebytheattackingteaminthebuild-uptothegoal

• balloutofplaypriortothegoal

b.Penaltydecisions

• penaltykickincorrectlyawarded

• penaltykickoffencenotpenalised

• freekickawardedtotheattackingteamandthereisdoubtwhetheritoccurredinside

oroutsidethepenaltyarea

• offencebytheattackingteaminthebuild-uptothepenaltyincident

• balloutofplaypriortothepenaltyincident

c.Redcardincidents

Reviewsarelimitedto‘direct’sending-offoffencesandnota2ndcaution(YC):

• the referee suspects that a potential sending-off offence has been missed or not

clearlyseenbythematchofficials

• theVARobservesanundetectedsending-offoffence

• therefereejudgesaplayertohavecommittedanoffencewhichmaybeasending-off

for denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity (DOGSO) or a yellow card for

stoppingapromisingattack

d.Mistakenidentity

• Iftherefereecautionsorsendsoffthewrongplayer(includingfromthewrongteam),

or is unsurewhichplayer to sanction; theVARwill assist the referee, proactively

wherepossible,sothecorrectplayercanbedisciplined.

TheVARcanbeusedinallthesesituationsiftherefereegivesadecision,allowsplayto

continueorifaseriousincidentis‘missed’i.e.notseenbythematchofficials.Thereferee

willALWAYSmakeadecision(excepta‘missed’incident)whichwillONLYBECHANGED

ifthereviewshowsaCLEARERRORi.e.‘wasthedecisionclearlywrong?’

1 Should, during the experiments, it become evident that the decisions listed above should bereducedorexpanded,TheIFABmayconsideramendingforpotentialfutureimplementation.

10/67

4. Scopeoftheexperiment

Theprincipleaimof ‘minimuminterference–maximumbenefit’ is toavoidmatchesbeing constantly interrupted by reviews, but when they are clear errors in match-

changingsituationsarecorrected.Thismeans that for thedurationof theexperiment,

‘lines’havehadtobedrawntodefine,andthusrestrict,theextentofVARuse.

Inevitably,whereveralineisdrawn,therecanbeargumentstomoveit.Oneaimofthe

two-yearexperimentalperiodistodeterminewhetherthe‘lines’areinthecorrectplace.

Thefollowingexplainswhycertaindecisions/processeshavebeenexcluded:

• Whyarecoachesnotallowedtorequestareview?

Inprinciple,thereisnoneedforacoachtorequestareviewbecausetheVARsystem

isfor‘clearerrors’anditishighlyunlikelythatacoachwouldseeaclearerrorthat

hadnotbeendetectedbytheVAR.

In addition, during the consultations, coaches andplayers felt strongly that coach

reviews were not desirable as they would probably be used mainly for (often

unsporting)tacticalreasons.

• Ifa(direct)redcardisamatch-changingsituation,whycana2ndyellowcard

(YC)notbereviewed?

Ifa2ndYCcouldbereviewedtherewouldbeastrongargumentforthe1stYCtobe

reviewed.Thiswould thenrequireeveryYC tobereviewedwhichwould logically

meanthateverypotentialYCincidentwouldbehavetobereviewed,includingwhen

areferee,possiblywrongly,doesnotissueaYC–thiswouldresultinfartoomany

interruptions to thegame(e.g. the2016EUROFinalhad tenYCsandanumberof

otherpossibleYCsituations).

• Whyare re-startdecisionsnot reviewede.g. awronglyawardedcornerkick

fromwhichagoalisscored?

TheLawsoftheGamestatethattherefereecannotchangeadecisiononceplayhas

restarted.Inaddition,thesituationabovewouldrequireeveryrestartdecisiontobe

reviewedjustincaseagoalresultedfromthenextphaseofplay–thiswouldresult

infartoomanyinterruptionstothegame.

11/67

5. Reviewprocess

5.1 General(seealso:http://quality.fifa.com/en/var)ToensurethattheVARdoesnotimpactonthereferee’sgeneraldecision-makingandis

onlyusedforincidents/decisionsdefinedintheprotocol,therefereeshould:

• FORGETabouttheVARBEFOREgivingadecision

• REMEMBERtheVARAFTERgivingadecision

Thismeansthatthereferee(andothermatchofficials)shouldmakedecisionsasif

therewasnoVAR–theyshouldnot‘takerisks’thinkingthattheVARcould‘save’them.

However,onceadecisionhasbeengivenina ‘reviewable’situation,therefereemust

rememberthattheVARmayneedtimetocheckthedecision/incident,sothereferee

shouldbereadytodelaytherestart toallowtheVARtocompletethisprocess(VARs

shouldproactivelyalertrefereestosituationswhereareviewmayberequired).

TheVARwillwatchthegameonTVscreensinthevideooperationroom(VOR)which

may be in/near to the stadium or in amore central location (e.g.match centre). For

integrity/transparency/credibility, the VAR, assisted by (a) neutral replay operator(s)

(RO),musthaveindependentaccessto,andreplaycontrolof,allbroadcastfeedssoany

reviewusesthesamefootageasthatwhichmaybeseenontelevision.Thereviewprocess

shouldbecontrolledbythecompetition/matchorganiser.TheintegrityoftheVARsystem

would be undermined if the broadcaster could show footage not available to the

VAR/refereewhichcontradictstheVAR/refereedecision.

TheVAR,willautomatically‘check’ifapotentialclearerrorhasbeenmadeinamatch-

changingsituationorifaseriousincident/offencehasbeenmissed.Ifnoreviewisneeded,

thencommunicationwiththerefereeisnotnecessary–thisisa‘silentcheck’.

Ifa‘check’indicatesthatanincidentshouldbereviewed,therefereeshouldbeinformed

immediately.Inaddition,iftherefereesuspectsthatamajorerrormayhaveoccurred,or

somethingserioushasbeenmissed,areviewcanberequested.

Onlytherefereeispermittedtoinitiateareview–othermatchofficials(especiallythe

VAR)mayrecommendareviewbutonlytherefereewilldecidewhethertohaveareview

and the outcomeof that review.The refereemaydecide that thematch officials have

clearlyseentheincidentandthereforenoreviewisneeded.

Iftherefereewantsareviewwhenplayhasnotstopped,therefereewillstopplayassoon

as it is ina ‘neutralzone/situation’ (area/situation) i.e.whenneither teamhasagood

attackingpossibility.

12/67

IftherefereeneedstodelaytherestartofthematchwhilsttheVARiscompletinga‘check’

(i.e.beforemovingtothereviewstage)therefereemustmakethereasonforthedelay

clearbypointingtotheearpiece.

Therefereemustclearlyindicatethatthereviewprocesshasbeeninitiatedbyvisually

showingtheoutlineofaTVscreen;adecisioncannotbechangedunlessthereviewsignal

hasbeenshown.Therestartofplaymustbedelayeduntiltheendofthereview;referees

mustpreventthe‘offending’team/playerrestartingplaytopreventareview.

Oncethereviewisinitiated,therefereehastheoptionto:

• makeadecisionbasedonlyontheinformationreceivedfromtheVARor

• reviewthefootagedirectlybeforemakingafinaldecision(on-fieldreview–OFR)

AnOFRshouldnotbeneededforfactualdecisionssuchasthepositionofanoffenceor

player(s)(e.g.offside),pointofcontactonthebodyforhandballorafoul,balloutofplay,

goal/nogoal.OFRswillbemainlyfor‘subjective’decisionsortoassistmatchcontrolor

to‘sell’adecision.

Reviewsteps(summary):

• Step1-therefereeinformstheVAR,ortheVARrecommendstothereferee(usually

basedona‘check’),thatadecision/incidentshouldbereviewed

• Step22-thevideofootageisreviewedbytheVARwhoadvisestherefereewhatthe

videoshows

• Step3-therefereeacceptstheinformationfromtheVARsandtakestheappropriate

action/decisionordecidestoreviewthevideofootageintheRRAbeforetakingthe

appropriateaction/decision

Technological devices (operated by a review assistant (RA) whomust be ‘neutral’ in

respect to the competing teams) will be available in the referee review area (RRA)

(usuallynearthefourthofficialand/orpotentiallyontheothersideofthefieldofplay

and/orbehindthegoallines)whichtherefereecanusetoreviewfootagedirectly.

TheVARwillrecommendthebestcameraangle(s)andreplayspeed(s)butthereferee

canrequestdifferentspeed(s)andangle(s)e.g.camerafrombehindthegoalforanoffside

affectingthegoalkeeper’slineofvision.Tofacilitatethisprocess,wherepossible,camera

anglenames/titlesshouldbeagreedpre-matchandthesenames/titlesshouldbevisible

onthescreensintheVORandRRA.

2Therewillbeoccasionswhere,toreducetime,Step2maybeomitted;VARsshouldbereadyto

recommendanOFRtothereferee.

13/67

Experiencehasshownthatthereshouldonlybefootagefromonecameraangleonthe

screen in the RRA as it is not easy for the referee to focus on, and quickly assess, a

situation/decision when there is a ‘split’ screen with 4 different camera angles. If

necessary,therefereecanaskforadditional/differentangles

Therefereecanwatchfootageinnormalspeed&/orinslowmotionbut,ingeneral,slow

motion replays should only be used for ‘point of contact’ for physical offences and

handball;normalspeedshouldbeusedforthe‘intensity’ofanoffenceortodecideifa

handballwas ‘deliberate’. Theothermatchofficialswill not review the footageunless

askedtodosobythereferee.

Forredcardoffences(exceptDOGSO),onlytheincidentisreviewed.Forgoals,penalty

incidentsandDOGSOoffences,therefereecanreviewtheplayasfarbackasthestartof

theattackingmovewhichledtotheincidentand,ifrelevant,howpossessionoftheball

wasgainedatthestartofthatphaseofplay.TheLawsoftheGamedonotallowrestart

decisions(cornerkicks,throw-insetc.)tobechangedonceplayhasrestarted,sotheycan

notbereviewed.

OthermatchofficialswillnotreviewthefootageintheRRAastherefereeshouldhavethe

knowledgeandskillstomakethedecision,includingforoffsideas‘position’isfactualand

referees are already involved in ‘offence’ decisions. However, the referee may, in

exceptionalcircumstances,askamatchofficialtoassistwithreviewingthefootage(e.g.if

that match official was involved in the incident being reviewed). In general, the

responsibility of the other match officials will be to monitor/manage the

players/technicalareasetc.

Players and team officialsmust not attempt to influence or interferewith the review

process.AplayerwhoshowstheTVsignwillbecautioned(YC);anyoneenteringtheRRA

willbecautioned(YC)(player/substitute)ordismissed(teamofficial).

Whilst the review process should be completed as efficiently/quickly as possible,

accuracyismoreimportantthanspeed.

At the end of the review process the refereewill clearly indicate the outcome of the

review,take/change/rescindanydisciplinaryaction(whereappropriate)andensurethe

correctrestartof thegame. If therefereechangesorrescinds/cancelsanydisciplinary

action it is very important that this is made very clear to everyone (other match

officials,players,coaches,spectatorsetc.).Thisisespeciallyimportantwhereaplayerhas

acaution(YC)rescinded/cancelledandthenreceivesacaution(YC)laterinthegameand

isnotsentoffasthisriskscausingconfusion,criticising,andcontroversy.

14/67

Inprinciple,amatchisnotinvalidatedbecauseof:

• malfunction(s)oftheVARtechnology(asforgoallinetechnology(GLT)

• wrongdecision(s)involvingtheVAR(astheVARisamatchofficial)

• decision(s)nottoreviewanincident

• review(s)ofanon-reviewablesituation/decision

Animportantaimoftheeducationwillbetodevelopanefficientreviewprocessto:

• achieveahighlevelofaccuracyindeterminingwhetheradecision/incidentwillbe

reviewedandthe‘final’(post-review)decision

• minimisethetimetakenforthereview,withoutsacrificingaccuracy

5.1.1 Whatisthedifferencebetweena‘check’anda‘review’?Thereisanimportantdistinctionbetweena‘check’,whichisautomaticallyundertaken

by the VAR, and a ‘review’which is undertaken initially by the VAR butmay also be

undertakenbytherefereeintheRRA.

TheVARcarefullywatchesfootageofthematchandifadecision/incidentoccurswhich

potentiallyfallsintooneofthe4reviewcategories,theVARwill‘check’theaccuracyof

thedecisionand/orwhetheranythingsignificanthasbeenmissedbythereferee(orother

matchofficials).Thisautomatic‘check’processisimportantbecause:

• itprevents thereferee frombeingdistracted/concernedthatsomething important

hasbeenmissed

• amajor reason for not allowing coaches to request reviews is that everything is

automatically‘checked’bytheVAR

TheVAR‘check’mustalwaysbebasedonthefundamentalphilosophythatreviewsare

onlyfor‘clearerrors’inmatch-changingsituationsorserious‘missedincidents/offences’

(+mistakenidentity).TheabilityoftheVARtoidentifyapotential ‘clearerror’willbe

fundamentaltotheaccuracyandspeedofthereviewprocess.

Sometimes,itmaybebeneficialfortheVARtoinformtherefereethata‘check’isbeing

undertakenofamatch-changingincident.Whenthereisthepossibilitythata‘check’may

becomea‘review’theVARmustadvisetherefereetodelaytherestartofthegame.

If a VAR ‘check’ indicates that an incident should be subject to a ‘review’, the referee

shouldbeinformedimmediately.IfnoreviewisneededthentheVARdoesnotnormally

needtocommunicatewiththereferee–thisisknownasa‘silentcheck’.However,there

maybeoccasionswhere theVAR judges that the referee (orothermatchofficial)will

benefitfrom,orappreciate,confirmationofthecorrectnessofadecision,orthatnothing

serious‘offtheball’hasoccurred/beenmissed.

15/67

5.1.2 Whocaninitiateareview?TheVARwatchesthematchandwheneveradecision/incidentoccurswhichfallsintoone

ofthereviewcategoriesanditseemslikelythataclearerrorhasbeenmade(orsomething

serious has been missed), the referee will be informed. In addition, the referee may

suspectthatsomethingsignificanthasbeen‘missed’oraclearerrormayhaveoccurred.

Ineithercircumstancetherefereecandecidethat:

• thematchofficialshaveclearlyseentheincidentandnoreviewisneeded,or

• adecisioncanbetakenbasedsolelyontheinformationfromtheVAR,or

• therefereewishestoundertakeanOFRbeforemakingafinaldecision

Allon-fieldmatchofficialsandtheVAR,AVAR,RO(andideallytheRA),areconnectedvia

a communication headset system during the entire match. Assistant referees, fourth

officials,AARsandVARscanrecommendtotherefereethatadecision/incidentshouldbe

reviewedbutonlytherefereecaninitiateareview.

5.1.3 Whencanareviewtakeplace?Areviewcantakeplacewhenplayisstopped,providedthattherefereehasnotpermitted

playtorestart.Wheneverthereisthepossibilityofareview,therestartofplaymustbe

delayed – thiswill sometimes require theVAR tobequick towarn the refereeof the

possibilityofareviewsotherefereecandelaytherestart. Inparticular,refereesmust

preventan‘offending’team/playerattemptingtorestartplaytopreventareview.


(i.e.beforemovingtothereviewstage)therefereeshouldmakethereasonforthedelay

clearbypointing to theearpiece.Theuseof the ‘pointing to theearpiece’ signal is an

officialsignalwhichshouldbeusedinallcaseswheretherefereedelaystherestartofplay

tocommunicatewiththeVAR.

In circumstanceswhere the game continues, play canbe stoppedby the referee for a

review but only when it is in a ‘neutral zone/situation’ i.e. neither team has a good

promisingattack;ifateamisinagoodattackingsituationoragoal-scoringposition,play

continuesuntilitisinaneutralzone/situation.

5.1.4 Howisareviewcommunicatedbythereferee?Whenareview is requestedby therefereedirectly,or following information fromthe

VAR, the referee will clearly indicate that the review process has been initiated by

outliningtheshapeofaTVscreenwithbothhands.

If the referee decides to review the footage in the RRA, this should also be clearly

communicated,particularlytotheplayers.

16/67

5.1.5 Wheredoesthereviewtakeplace?Duringtheinitialstageofthereview,whentheVARisstudyingthefootage,thereferee

should(asfaraspossible)takeapositionawayfromtheplayerswhichallowsmost/allof

theplayerstobekeptinview.

Whenchoosingthebestposition,therefereeshouldconsiderthepotentialbenefitof:

• beingclosetoamatchofficialwhomayalsohaveviewedtheincident

• beingclosetothelikelylocationofthepost-reviewrestart

• movingtowardstheRRAinpreparationtoreviewthefootagedirectlyandtoreduce

thetimetakenbythereview

If the referee decides to review the footage directly (OFR), the referee should go

immediatelytotheRRAwhichmustbea‘privatearea’wherethefootagecanbeviewed

andthemonitorisprotectedfromtheweather,theball,thrownitemsetc.TheRRAmust

beclearlymarkedasonlytherefereeandRAarepermittedtoenterthisarea.

Forreasonsoftransparencyandintegrity(i.e.todemonstratethatnoonehasinfluenced

thereviewprocess)theRRAmustbevisible(notaroomintheplayers’tunneletc.)and,

asfaraspossible,therefereeshouldremainvisiblethroughouttheprocess.Ideally,there

shouldbenomedia/broadcastmicrophonesorcameraspositionedin/neartotheRRA.

NooneisallowedtoentertheRRAatanystage-anyplayerwhodoessowillbecautioned

(YC)andanyteamofficialdismissedfromthetechnicalarea.Thehomeclub/competition

organisers must provide sufficient stewarding/security to prevent players/team

officials/cameramenetc.enteringtheRRA.

5.1.6 Whotakespartinthereview?OnlytheVARandrefereeviewreplayfootageunless,inexceptionalcircumstances,the

refereedecidesthatoneoftheothermatchofficialsshouldalsoviewthefootage(e.g.an

officialdirectlyinvolvedinreportinganincidenttothereferee).Theremustbeareview

assistant(RA)(notthefourthofficial)intheRRAtohelptherefereeduringanOFR;the

RA’smainresponsibilitywillbe to loadandplay footagerecommendedbytheVARor

requestedbythereferee.

5.1.7 Whatdotheothermatchofficialsdoduringthereview?During the review, the other match official must monitor/manage the players and

technicalareasaccordingtothereferee’spre-matchinstructions.Inprinciple:

• the4thofficialwillmonitorthetechnicalareas

• theARs(andAARsifappointed)willmonitortheplayersintheirhalfofthefield

• oneoftheARs(orAARs)recordsthetimetakenforeachreview(fromthetimethe

refereegivestheTVsignaluntilplayre-starts)

17/67

• all match officials should remain aware (and ready to advise the referee) of the

locationoftherestart,especiallyiftherefereestoppedplayforareview

• all on-field match officials should remain silent (as far as possible) to avoid

interrupting/distractingthereferee-VARcommunication

5.1.8 Whatdotheplayersandofficialsdoduringthereview?Theplayersandteamofficialsmustbehaveresponsiblyandmustnot:

• attempttoinfluencethereferee’sdecisiontoreviewanincidentortoviewfootage

directly

• interferewiththereferee’smovementto/fromtheRRAorto/fromthepositionofthe

restartafterthefinaldecision

• enterorapproachtheRRA–anyplayerwhoenterstheRRAmustbecautioned(YC)

andanyteamofficialwhoenterstheRRAmustbedismissedfromthetechnicalarea

• contestthereferee’sfinaldecision

5.1.9 Whatprinciplesmusttherefereefollowduringthereview?Therefereewillfollowtheprinciplesthat:

• adecision/incidentwhich isnotoneof the ‘match-changing’definitionscannotbe

reviewed

• adecisioncanonlybechangedifthefootageshowsa‘clearerror’(orthataserious

offence/incidenthasbeenmissed)–thequestionisnot ‘wasthedecisioncorrect?’

but‘wasthedecisionclearlywrong?’• afactualdecisione.g.positionofanoffence,positionofplayer(s)foroffside,pointof

contact(foul/handball),balloutofplayorgoal/nogoalcanusuallybemadebased

onlyontheinformationfromtheVARi.e.noon-fieldreview(OFR)needed

• OFRsshouldbeusedmainlyfor‘subjective’decisionsunlesstherefereedecidesthat

anOFRwillassistmatchcontrol/playermanagementorwillhelp‘sell’adecision

• therefereeandVARshouldbealert to thepossibilityofanoffendingteam/player

tryingtorestartthegamequicklytopreventareview.Iftherefereethinksareview

mightbenecessary,therestartmustbedelayedtogivetimefortheVARto‘check’

thedecision/incident. Equally,VARs shouldbeproactive and advise the referee if

thereisarealpossibilityofareviewsothattherestartcanbeprevented

• only the refereeandRAareallowed in theRRA(inexceptional circumstances the

refereemayinviteanothermatchofficialintotheRRA)

• therefereecanwatchfootageinnormalspeed&/orinslowmotionbut,ingeneral,

slowmotionreplaysshouldonlybeusedfor‘pointofcontact’forphysicaloffences

andhandball;andnormalspeedforthe‘intensity’ofanoffenceortodetermineifa

handballwas‘deliberate’

• whilst the review process should be completed as efficiently/quickly as possible,

accuracyismoreimportantthanspeed

18/67

5.1.10 Howistheoutcomeofthereviewcommunicated?Therefereewillvisuallyindicatewhetherornottheoriginaldecisionhasbeenconfirmed

and then clearly indicate how thematchwill restart. The referee should consider the

benefit of communicating the finaldecisionverbally to the teamcaptains.The referee

must,asappropriate,take,changeorrescindanydisciplinaryaction.

Competitionswillneedtodecidewhatinformationiscommunicatedinthestadium(and

tothemedia)beforethematch,duringareviewandonceafinaldecisionismade.Itis

verystronglyrecommendedthat,asaminimum,amessageappearsonthestadiumscreen

announcing that a review is taking place. This may also involvemessages/images or

potentially footage of the VOR appearing on screens in the stadium. Very careful

considerationshouldbegiventowhether,withinexistingcompetitionprotocols,replay

footage is shown as this may cause negative reactions, security issues etc. especially

wheretheincident/decisionisnotclear-cut.Inprinciple,replaysofincidentswhichare

orhavebeenreviewedshouldnotbeshownonscreensinthestadium.

5.1.11 Howdoesplayrestartafterthereview?Oncetherefereehasreachedafinaldecision,thematchmustberestartedasfollows:

• ifadecisionisnotchanged,playrestartsaccordingtotheoriginaldecision

• ifadecisionischangedora‘missed’offenceisidentified,playrestartswiththecorrect

restartforthe‘new’decision.

• if playwas stopped for a reviewand the original decision is not overturned, play

restartswithadroppedballwheretheballwaswhenplaywasstopped

5.1.12 Whataboutthetimetakenforareview?Therefereemustmakefullallowanceforthetimetakenforeachreview;thiswillbefrom

thetimethereviewwassignalleduntilplayrestarts.

Itisrecommendedthatoneofthematchofficialsotherthantherefereeand4thofficial

(whowillmonitor/managethetechnicalareasandRRA),isassignedtheresponsibilityof

recordingthetimetakenforeachreview;thiswillusuallybeAR2.

5.1.13 Whatdisciplinaryactioncantherefereetake/changebasedonareview?Therefereemusttakethecorrectdisciplinaryactionagainstplayersandteamofficialsfor

anyoffencesidentified/confirmedbythereviewprocess.Thisincludes:

• changingdisciplinaryactiontakenorindicatedbeforethereviewincluding:

o rescinding(cancelling)disciplinaryactionwronglytakeno changingacaution(YC)toasending-off(RC)o changingasending-off(RC)toacaution(YC)o changingacautionorsending-offfromoneplayertoanother(mistakenidentity)

19/67

• takingtheappropriatedisciplinaryaction,includingcautions(YCs),foranyoffence

notoriginallyseenbutwhichisclearlyidentifiedbythereview

Examplesofsituationswhere,asaresultofthereviewprocess,therefereemustapplythe

correctdisciplinarysanctionsinclude:

• wherea review forapotential sending-off (RC)offenceormissed incident clearly

showsthattheoffenceonlyrequiresacaution(YC),includingifitisa2ndYC

• wherea review forapenalty incident clearly shows that theattackingplayerwas

guiltyofsimulation-theoffendingplayermustbecautioned(YC)

• where a disciplinary action has been taken against the wrong player (including

disciplinaryactionresultingfromthewrongplayer/teambeingpenalised)

Iftherefereechangesorrescinds/cancelsanydisciplinaryactionitisveryimportantthat

thisismadeverycleartoeveryone(othermatchofficials,players,coaches,spectators

etc.).Thisisespeciallyimportantwhereaplayerhasacaution(YC)rescinded/cancelled

andthenreceivesacaution(YC)laterinthegameandisnotsentoffasthisriskscausing

confusion,criticising,andcontroversy.

5.1.14 Decisions incorrectly reviewed/technology malfunction/disciplinary

action

Competitionsmuststateclearlyintheircompetitionrulesthatamatchisnotinvalidated

becauseof:

• malfunction(s)oftheVARtechnology(asforgoallinetechnology)

• wrongdecision(s)involvingtheVAR(astheVARisamatchofficial)

• decision(s)nottoreviewanincident/decision

• review(s)ofanon-reviewableincident/decision

Competitions/governingbodiesshouldensuretheirdisciplinaryproceduresaccountfor

decisionsrelatingtoacaution(YC)orsending-off(RC)involvingtheVAR.

5.2 ReviewtimelinesItisimportantthattheopportunitytocorrectclearerrorsdoesnotover-intrudeintothe

match.Thisisparticularlyimportantwhendefiningtheperiodofplaypriortoandaftera

reviewableincidenthasoccurred.

5.2.1 Whatphase(s)ofplaycanbereviewed?Oneoftheaimsoftheexperimentwillbetoestablishforhowlong‘before’anincident

playcanbereviewedi.e.isthereapointatwhichthereviewperiodcanstart?Equally,it

willbeimportanttoestablishhowlongafteranincidentadecisioncanbereviewed.

20/67

TheLawsoftheGamedefinethemaximumperiodbeforeandafteranincidentduring

whichadecisioncanbechangedbecausetheLaw5statesthat‘therefereemaynotchange

adecisiononrealisingitisincorrect(…)ifplayhasrestarted(…)’.Thismeansthatarestart

decisioncannotbechangedoncethegamehasbeenrestartede.g.ifacornerkickistaken

evenifagoalresultsandTVreplaysshowthatitshouldhavebeenagoalkick,theoriginal

goalkick/cornerkickdecisioncannotbechanged.Thesameistrueforallrestarts:throw-

in,freekicketc.If,afterareviewableincident,playstopsandisrestartedthennoreview

ispermitted(exceptfordirectsendingoffoffences).

Whilstitmightseem‘unfair’thatagoalresultsfromawronglyawardedcornerkickor

attackingthrow-in,ifthecornerkick/throw-indecisioncouldbechangedthenlogicallya

goalthatresultedfromanincorrectgoalkickoradefensivethrow-inwouldalsohaveto

bechanged.Asitwouldbewrongtowaitforagoaltobescoredbeforecheckingathrow-

inorcornerkick(becausethiswouldleadtoagreatdealoffrustration/angerfromthe

players,teamofficials,fansetc.oftheteamthatscoredthegoal)itwouldbenecessaryto

review every goal kick, corner kick and throw-in decision in case a match-changing

situationresults.

Inaddition,anincorrectlytakenrestart(e.g.ballmovingatafreekick,foulthrow-inetc.)

whichultimatelyleadstoagoalorpenaltyincidentcannotbereviewedasthisisnota

‘match-changing’decisionanditshouldbedetectedbythematchofficials.

WithinthelimitsimposedbytheLawsoftheGame,thisprotocolidentifiesrestrictionson

theperiodbefore/afteran incident/decisionwhichcanbe included inareview.These

restrictionsmay bemodified after the early testing phase andThe IFABmight give a

competitionpermissiontousemodifiedrestrictions.

5.2.2 Howfarbeforeadecisioncantheplaybereviewed?Theperiodbeforeanincidentwhichmaybeincludedinthereviewwillvaryaccordingto

thecategoryoftheincident.

5.2.3 Redcard(exceptDOGSO)+mistakenidentity• onlytheincidentisreviewed

5.2.4 Goal,penaltyincidentorDOGSOThereare4potentialstartingpointsforthereview:

• whenandhowtheattackingteamlastgainedpossessionoftheball

• thestartoftheattackingmovewhichdirectlyendedinthegoal/penaltyincident

• whentheballenteredthedefendingteam’shalfofthefieldofplay

• amaximumperiodoftimepriortotheincident

Inprinciple,therecouldbeacombinationofsomeoftheabovebutTheIFABexperiment

protocolusesthe‘attackingpossessionphase’conceptwhichcombines2startingpoints.

21/67

‘AttackingPossessionPhase(APP)’

Consultationswithfootballstakeholderssuggestthatfootballwouldexpectthatonlythe

phaseofplayleadinguptoagoal/penaltyincident/DOGSOshouldbereviewedi.e.from

thepointatwhichtheattackingteamlastgainedpossessionoftheballandstartedthe

phaseofplaythatledtothegoal/penaltyincident.

Amajorunderlyingprincipleisthatuntiltheattackingteamgainedpossessionoftheball,

theiropponentshadthe‘freedom’tousetheballandthusany‘missed’eventbeforethey

lostpossessioncouldhavebeenavoided.Thisconceptissimilartothenormalfootball

situation where a defender has time to clear the ball but instead attempts a pass to

anotherdefenderwhichisinterceptedbyanattackerwhothenscores–thedefenderhad

possessionandcouldhavepreventedtheerrorwhichledtothegoal.

‘attacking phase possession (APP)’ will require the referee (assisted by the VAR) to

determine:

• thepointatwhichtheattackingteamgainedpossessionoftheballandthen

• thepointatwhichthephaseofplaythatledtothegoal/penaltyincidentstarted

‘gainingpossession’

Theattackingteamwillbeconsideredtohavegainedpossessionwhenthey:

• takearestartor

• takepossessionoftheballfrom‘openplay’(whenneitherteamhaspossession)or

• takepossessionoftheballwhenitis‘lost’bytheopponents(e.g.poorpass,clearance

etc.)or

• gainpossessionasaresultofachallengefortheballwithanopponent

Thefollowingarenotconsideredacleargainofpossession:

• asave,deflectionorreboundthatdoesnotresultincontroloftheball

• aclearancethatdoesnotreachorisnotcontrolledbyateammate

Wheretheattackingteamgainedpossessionasaresultofanoffenceorinfringementof

theLawsoftheGame,thegoalorpenaltykickunderreviewcanonlybeoverturnedifthe

refereemadeaclearerrorinfailingtopenalisetheoffence/infringement.

Consequently,agoal/penaltykickcanonlybechangediftherefereemadeaclearerror

by failing to penalise a Law 12 offence which resulted in the attacking team taking

possessionoftheball:

• in‘openplay’or

• whenitis‘lost’bytheopponentsor

• asaresultofachallengefortheballwithanopponent

22/67

RestartsarenotreviewedbecauseTheLawsoftheGamedonotpermitarestartdecision

tobechangedonceplayhasrestarted.Incorrectrestartsarenotreviewedbecausethey

arenotmatch-changingsituationsandshouldbedetectedbythematchofficials.

TheVARwill assist the referee to establish theAPPbut if theball travelsbeyond the

camera’sviewtherefereeandothermatchofficialswillmakethe‘possession’decision.

‘attackingphase’

Defining the point atwhich the ‘attacking phase (move)’ startswill be subjective but

shouldincludedeciding:

• the point at which the attacking team advanced with the ball towards their

opponents’penaltyareaand, if theattacking teamhasa longperiodof ‘keepball’

possession, thepointatwhichtheyeithercross thehalfway line(for ‘keepball’ in

theirownhalf)or,if‘keepball’isintheiropponents’half,thepointatwhichaclear

forward/attackingphaseofplaystarts

Judging‘attackingpossessionphase’willrequireco-operationbetweentherefereeand

VAR,andpotentiallywithARs(andAARs).Thisconceptwillbefurtherdefinedduringthe

educationphaseusingfootageandsimulatedon-fieldsituations.ItwillrequiretheVAR

andrefereetoadopta‘whatwouldfootballexpect?’approachandapplytheprinciples

andtheirknowledgeandexperiencetodifferentiatebetween‘denyinganobviousgoal-

scoringopportunity’and‘stoppingapromisingattack’.

APPeffectively‘resets’thestartingpointforthereviewablephaseofplaypriortoagoal

orapenaltyincident.

5.2.5 Howlongafteradecision/incidentcanplaybestoppedforareview?Theperiodoftimeafteranincidentoccurswhenareviewcanbeinitiatedmustbelimited

toavoidothersignificanteventstakingplaceandthenbeingoverturned.

Ifplayhasstoppedandareviewableincidentmayhaveoccurred,therefereemustnot

permittherestarttobetakenuntiladecisiontoreviewornothasbeenmade.

Ifplaycontinuesandtherefereesuspectssomethingimportanthasbeenmissedorthe

VAR recommends a review, the referee must stop play as soon as it is in a ‘neutral

zone/situation’i.e.neitherteamisinagoodattackingposition.

AsLaw5doesnotallowtherefereetochangeadecisiononceplayhasrestarted,soifplay

stops after a potentially reviewable incident/offence and play restarts, no review is

permittedexceptfor‘missed’redcardoffences(exceptDOGSOand2ndYCoffences).

23/67

Fordirectsending-offoffencesandmistakenidentity(wrongplayercautionedorsentoff)

there isno time limit for thedisciplinaryactionbut if playhas stoppedand restarted

beforethedisciplinaryactioncanbetaken,therestartfortheoffenceisnotapplied.

5.3 FootageusedforreviewsTheefficientselectionofthebestvideofootage(anglesandreplayspeed)willsignificantly

affect theaccuracy, speedandacceptanceof a review.Whilst the refereehasultimate

controlofthedecision-makingprocess,theVAR,ROandRAhaveimportantrolestoplay.

As part of the pre-match preparation, the referee, VAR, RO and RA should agree the

names/titles of the different camera angles and, where possible, these names/titles

shouldbevisibleonthescreensintheVORandRRA.

5.3.1 Whodecideswhatfootageisreviewed?Theinitialselectionofthebestcameraangle(s)andreplayspeed(s)willbeundertaken

bytheVARwhowillexplaintotherefereethebasisfortherecommendedfootageand

whatitshows.

If the referee decides to view the footage directly, theVARwill recommend themost

appropriate angle(s) and speed(s) but the referee may request different/additional

angle(s)orspeed(s).

ExperienceduringthetrialmatchesshowedthattheOFRoperatesbestwhenthereferee

hasthefootagefromonlyonecameraangletoreview.Itisnoteasyforreferees,whohave

beenusingmainlymediumandlongdistance‘sight’,tofocusonaTVscreen,especiallyif

there a several different replay angles being shown at the same time. If the referee

requires, or the VAR recommends, an additional angle then this can be provided but

usuallynotasa‘splitscreen’

5.3.2 WhooperatestheequipmentfortheVAR?TherewillbeatleastoneROsittingwiththeVAR(dependingonthenumberofavailable

camera feeds) to assist with selection and loading of footage; as VARs becomemore

experiencedinusingtheequipment,theymaybeabletoself-selectthefootage.Therole

of the ROwill be particularly importantwhen there aremultiple incidents or several

incidentsoccurinquicksuccession.

TherelationshipbetweentheVARandtheROisanimportantandcomplexone.Whilst

theROisnotpartofthedecision-makingprocess,theROhasaresponsibilitytohelpthe

VAR(andultimatelythereferee)makethecorrectdecision.TheROshould‘guide’theVAR

tothebestanglesand,wheretheRObelievesthattheVARmaybenefitfromlookingat

24/67

another/differentangle(especiallyifitshowssomethingthattheVARappearsnottohave

seen/recognised)theROmustensuretheVARisawareofthisparticularfootage/angle.

5.3.3 Whooperatestheequipmentforareviewbythereferee?TherewillbeanRAintheRRAtooperatetheequipmentsotherefereecanconcentrate

onviewingthefootageand,whereappropriate,requestspecificangle(s),speed(s)etc.

5.3.4 Whatspeedisusedforreviews?Footage canbeviewedby theVARand refereeatnormal speedor in slowmotion. In

principle,toensureaccuracyofjudgment:

• slowmotionreplaysshouldonlybeusedfor‘pointofcontact’forphysicaloffences

andhandball

• normal speed shouldbeused for the ‘intensity’ of an offence or to determine if a

handballwas‘deliberate’.

5.3.5 GraphicsGraphics(e.g.offsidelines)shouldonlybeusedifthemethodologyisaccurateandthe

competition has confirmed that the technology provider or production team meets

minimumspecificationstandards.Itisparticularlyimportantthatthegraphics(especially

foroffside)areaccurateandtakefullaccountoftherequirementsoftheLawsoftheGame.

Thereshouldonlybeoneproviderof thegraphics so that thoseusedby theVARand

refereearethesameasthoseseenbythetelevisionviewers,andtheparticipants.This

shouldpreventdiscrepanciesthatcouldbringthefinaldecisionintoquestion.

5.4 LocationandroleoftheVideoAssistantReferee(VAR)TheVARislocatedintheVORwhichisin,orcloseto,thestadiumorattheTVbroadcast

centre;whatever the location, the VARsmust have independent access to, and replay

controlof,allbroadcastcamerafeeds;theVARmustalsohavedirectandinstantcontact

withthereferee,RO,AssistantVAR(AVAR)(or2ndVAR)andRA.

TheVARisamatchofficial(e.g.likeanadditionalassistantreferee)andwillbeinconstant

contact with the referee using the referee team’s communication system; to avoid

distractingthematchofficials,theVARwilluseapushbuttontoactivatethemicrophone.

The prime role of theVAR is to ‘check’ the play throughout the game and inform the

refereewhenthere is thepossibilitythatareviewable incidenthasoccurred.TheVAR

works under the direction of the referee to ensure a clear error in amatch-changing

decisioniscorrectedoraseriousunseenincidentisdealtwith.

25/67

Forintegrityandtransparency,andtoprovideaneducationanddevelopmentresource,

theVORandtheconsultationprocesswillbefilmed(includingsound).Thisfootagewill

notbemadeavailableexceptforeducationofreferees/VARsorifthereisaquestionabout

thetransparency/integrityofaparticularmatch/consultation/review.

ItwillbeimportantforVARstobecomecompetentusingthereplayequipmentsothey

canselectreplayangles/speedsetc.themselveswhichwill:

• speedupthereviewprocess

• enabletheVARtoundertakeacheckorassistwithareviewsothattheROcan‘tag’

anypotentially reviewable incidentwhich occurswhilst theVAR is undertaking a

checkorreview.Suchskillwillpreventtheneedfor2VARs

AssistantVAR(AVAR)–theearlytrialmatcheshaveshowntheneedforasecondperson

intheVORtoassisttheVAR;thiscouldbea2ndVARor,morelikely,anAssistantVAR.

TheirrolewouldbetohelptheVARasmuchaspossible,inparticular:

• watchingthematchonthescreenwhiletheVARandROareundertakingacheckora

reviewand,ifapotentiallyreviewableincidentoccurs,‘tag/mark’thesituation

• keepingarecordofalldisciplinaryactionandallreviewableincidents(andwhether

ornottheywerereviewedandthenatureandoutcomeofthereview)sotheVARcan

concentrateonwatchingthegame

• communicating the outcome of a review to the broadcasters (using the agreed

phraseologyetc.)exceptwherethisisaresponsibilityassignedtosomeoneelseby

thecompetitionorganiser

TheAVARdoesnotneedthesamelevelofrefereeingexperienceandqualificationsasthe

VAR.

26/67

6. CommunicationbetweenRefereeandVAR

6.1 GeneralEffectivecommunicationbetweentherefereeandVAR(andotherkeypersonnele.g.ROs

and RAs) will be essential and protocols will, as far as possible, ensure high quality

communicationthatminimiseserrorsormisunderstandings.

Itwill be important to establish communication protocols, language and phrases, and

meansofstartingandendingphasesofinformationexchange.TheIFABwillgiveguidance

but the exact communication protocols should be drawn up by each national football

association/competition tobeconsistentwith,andreflect, theprotocols, languageand

vocabularyalreadyinuseinthematchofficials’communicationsystems.Moreover,each

countrywillhaveitsownuniquefootballlanguageandphraseology.

Insimpleterms,allcommunicationprotocolsshould:

• encouragetherefereetoleadtheconversations

• uselanguagewhichissimpleandclear

• keeptheamountofcommunicationtoaminimum

• avoidnegativese.g.donotsay‘notoffside’asthereisariskthattherefereedoesnot

heartheword‘not’

• useofficialtechnicalterminologye.g.‘Blue7guiltyofviolentconductbystrikingan

opponent,RedNo.7’

• understandthevalueanddangersof‘open’and‘closed’questions

• therefereeshouldacknowledgeall communication fromtheVAR(andviceversa)

ideallybyrepeatingtheinformationreceivedtoavoidmisunderstanding

TheVARwillbeonthesamecommunicationsystemastheothermatchofficialsbutonly

therefereecancommunicatedirectlywiththeVAR;theAVAR,ROandRAshouldalsobe

onthesamesystemtofacilitateamoreefficientreviewoffootagebythereferee.

The ‘openmic’ communicationsystemwillallow theVAR(andRO) tohearexchanges

betweentheothermatchofficialssothatif,forexample,theARinformstherefereethata

player is inanoffsidepositionwhenagoal isscoredbuttheARdoesnotknowif that

playerisinterferingwiththelineofvisionofthegoalkeeper,theVARcanstartto‘check’

thesituationinreadinessforapotentialreviewrequestortoinformtherefereeifaclear

errorappearstohaveoccurred.

The VAR should use a ‘push-button’ to activate the VAR’smicrophone so discussions

betweentheVARandtheRO/AVARarenotoverheardby,anddonotdistract,thereferee

andmatchofficials.ItisimportantthattheVAR’smiconlyoperateswhenthebuttonis

pushedandheldsothatitdoesnotremain‘open’oncetheconversation/communication

isoverasthiscanleadtoconfusionand,potentially,anincorrectdecision.

27/67

Inthesamewaythatmatchofficialsalreadyexchangeinformationduringamatch,the

VARwillinevitablybecomepartofthatexchange.Thiswillultimatelymakethe‘check’

and‘review’processesmoreefficientandprobablyfaster.Whilstnotpartoftheformal

review process, it is inevitable (and to the game’s benefit and the referee’s decision-

making) that the VAR occasionally gives the referee information about particular

situations.

AllcommunicationbetweentheVAR,referee,RAandothermatchofficialsmustbeclear,

courteous and non-emotional. It is extremely important that the VAR’s style of

communication is not over-strong or aggressive. Equally, the referee must not be

discourteous or dictatorial to the VAR. Professional conduct at all times is vital if the

communicationistobeeffectiveinproducingthecorrectoutcome.

6.2 ChecksChecks by the VAR will be an on-going process and may or may not lead to a

recommendationtotherefereeforareview.Inprinciple,theVARdoesnotneedtoinform

therefereeeverytimeacheckistakingplace–thisisa‘silent’check.

However, if the VAR believes that a check may result in a review, the VAR should

immediatelyinformtherefereesothat,ifappropriate,therefereecandelaytherestartof

thematch.TheVARshouldcommunicatethefollowinginformationtothereferee:

• a‘check’istakingplace

• theincident/offencebeingchecked(specificinformationwherepossible)

• theplayer(s)andteaminvolved

• thelocation/timeoftheincident

Forexample,“checkforpossiblehandballbyBlue8priortogoalbeingscored”


(i.e.beforemovingtothereviewstage)therefereemustmakethereasonforthedelay

clearbypointingtohisearpiece.

Oncethecheckhasbeenconcluded,theVARwillcommunicatetheoutcometothereferee

which will either be that no reviewable offence/incident has been observed or the

recommendationthattheincidentshouldbereviewed,e.g.:

• ‘Checkshowsthatnooffence/incidenthasoccurred/beenmissed’,or

• ‘CheckindicatesaclearhandballoffencebyBlue8–reviewrecommended’

28/67

6.3 ReviewcommunicationstepsThereviewprocesswillrequire3communicationsteps:

Step1-therefereeinformstheVARortheVARrecommendstotherefereethata

decision/incidentshouldbereviewed

Communication between the referee and VAR should quickly establish exactly which

incident(s)/offence(s)isbeingcheckedandmightbereviewed.Therefereemustclearly

givethe‘earpiece’orTVsignalandinformtheplayersthatthegamecannotrestart.

Step 2 - the video footage is reviewed by the VAR who advises the referee via

headsetwhatthevideoshows

Communication from the VAR to the referee should be confined to facts describing

accuratelywhat the footageshows.Therefereeshould initially request clarificationof

factsbeforerequestinganyopinion fromtheVAR. If theVARbelieves that thereferee

shouldviewthefootage(i.e.anOFR)thenthisshouldbecommunicatedtotherefereeas

quicklyaspossible.

NB:TherewillbeoccasionswhenStep2canbeomittedasthiswillsavetime;theVARshould

alwaysbereadytorecommendanOFRtothereferee.

Step 3 - the referee accepts the information from the VARs and takes the

appropriate action/decision or decides to review the video footage in the RRA

(OFR)beforetakingtheappropriateaction/decision

BasedontheinformationfromtheVAR,therefereewillinformtheVAReither:

• thatadecisionwillbemadewithoutfurtherreviewofthefootage.Therefereewill

communicate the final decision to the VAR so that it can be recorded and,where

appropriate,communicatedtootherparties,or

• thattherefereehasdecidedtoviewthefootagedirectlyintheRRA(OFR)

Forfactualdecisionsandforveryclearerrors,thereshouldbenoneedforanOFR.

When the referee decides to review the footage directly, a review must be clearly

indicatedbyusingtheTVsignal;therefereemustensurethatplaydoesnotrestart.Where

appropriate,therefereeshouldclearlyindicatewhenanOFRwilloccur.

TheVARwillrecommendwhichcameraangle(s)andreplayspeedsarethebestforthe

refereetouseandthiswillbecommunicatedtotheRAbytheVAR(unlesstheRAispart

ofthematchofficials’communicationsystem).Inprinciple,thefootageavailableinthe

RRAisonlyfromonecameraangleasitisnoteasyforrefereestofocusonandassessan

incident/decisionwhentherearemultipleangles(splitscreen).

29/67

During an OFR, the VAR should be ready to assist the referee, particularly if further

camera angles or different replay speeds are required following the principle that, in

general:

• slowmotionreplaysshouldonlybeusedfor‘pointofcontact’forphysicaloffences+

handball

• normalspeedshouldbeusedfor‘intensity’ofanoffenceortodetermineifahandball

was‘deliberate’.

Therefereewillhavetobesatisfied(andhavethesituationconfirmedbytheVAR)that

theprotocolsrelatingtowhetheranincidentcanbereviewedandtheperiodbefore/after

theincidenthavebeenfollowed.

6.4 RestartingplayafterareviewAllmatchofficialsshouldremainaware(andready toadvise thereferee)ofwhatand

wheretherestartshouldbe,especiallyiftherefereestopsplayforareview.

6.5 AddedtimeOne of the match officials (usually an AR) should be responsible for recording and

informingtherefereehowlongareviewtook(fromtheTVsignaltoplayrestarting)so

therefereecanmakefullallowance.

6.6 Bestpractice-communicationMajor League Soccer (The MLS) has undertaken a great deal of work in this

communication area. The following sub-sections are ‘best practice’ based on theMLS

work and other feedback. As stated at the beginning of this section, communication

protocolswillneedtobetailoredforeachcompetitionbasedonexistingpractices,native

languageandfootball/refereeingterminologyetc.

6.6.1 VAR<->RefereecommunicationbestpracticesVAR communication should provide descriptive, factual and concise accounts of the

incidentunderreviewandincludethefollowing:

• clearlydistinguishbetween ‘check’ and ’review’and inform the refereeof ‘checks’

accordingtoeachreferee’spreferences

• confirmthenumbersand/ornamesandteam(s)oftheplayersintheincident

• usetechnicalterms-careless,recklessSFP/VC/DOGSO,stoppingapromisingattack,

etc.–asdefinedbytheLawsoftheGamewhendescribinganincident

• usefactsandpaintapicture(i.e.: ‘Noexcessiveforce.Incidentalornormalcontact.

Attackerinitiatesthecontactintothedefender.’)

• use ‘loop-closing’ terms when finished speaking, such as ‘over’, based on referee

preference

• requestgraphicsevenlyspacedacrossturffieldstorepresentlinesnormallyleftby

grasscuttingmachinerytohelpwithoffside

30/67

• consideradoptingmilitaryverbiagehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_procedure/(i.e.:

‘VAR/nameofVAR,Iamsendingoffplayer#XforYYYAction.Pleasereview.Over.’

‘Referee/nameofreferee,reviewingYYY.Over.’)

• whentherefereedecidesnottofollowtheinformation/adviceoftheVARthereferee

shouldclearlystatethefinaldecisione.g.therefereedecidesafoulchallengeisSFP

buttheVARadvisesthatitisonly‘reckless’.Iftherefereedecidestoremainwiththe

originaldecisionandsendoff theplayer theVARshouldbe informed (for record-

keeping purposes and clarity that there has been no communication

misunderstanding) by the referee adopting a phrase such as: ‘Thank you for the

feedback.I’mstillissuingtheRCandwillberestartingplaywithadirectfreekick.’

• ifwalkie-talkiesareusedbetweentheVARand4thOfficial,athree-wayconversation

mustbeestablishedwherebythe4thOfficialreiteratesallinformationcommunicated

from the referee and VAR to their respective counterpart and intended recipient.

However, incaseswherethatcannotbeaccomplishedand/ormoreinformationis

needed(especiallyinthecaseofamajordecisionasdefinedbytheexperienceofthe

referee),therefereeshouldjogoverto4thOfficial’sTableandspeakdirectlywithVAR

onthewalkie-talkie

6.6.2 VAR<->ROcommunicationbestpracticesThe following relates to communication between the VAR and the RO in the video

operationroom(VOR)–importanttoidentifywhataction/situationistobereviewed:

• verbally identify which angle(s) and view(s) the VAR is looking at and what the

refereemayasktosee

• selectbestfeedforangleandview

• requestzoominorzoomoutwhereapplicableandappropriate

• requestrewindandforwardwhereapplicableandappropriate

• utiliseslowmotionand‘frame-by-frame’functionalityforpointofcontactonly(not

forhandballorintensityofcontact)

• request split screen, especially in cases of offside, in order to capture two images

simultaneouslythatwouldnotbevisibleinoneimageotherwise

• over-communicateverbally/withgesturesassoonaspossibleonceacheckorreview

isunderway

6.6.3 CommunicationproviderbestpracticesBestPracticesforCommunicationDeviceProviderandUser:

• testwiredandwirelessconnectionsbeforethematchincludingthosebetweenthe

referee,ARs,4th,andVAR(s)

• provide ‘listenerdevices’ forthetwo(2)RAs+ROs;VARs ‘In-Training’;engineers;

and,forCompetitionrepresentatives

• walkie-talkieswillbesuppliedforVAR-4thOfficialcommunicationsasaredundancy

• officialsmustkeepmicclosetomouthforoptimaluse

• inpre-matchtesting,officialsshouldspeakforcefullyandwitha‘fieldvoice’

• ifusingPTT,officialsshoulddelayasecondbeforespeakinginordertoallowPTTto

activate

31/67

• VARmustbecomeaccustomedtothemechanismusedtoopenandclosetheirmic

during direct communication with the referee versus that with the technology

providerRAandRO

• designate a ‘CommunicationVideoReviewEngineer’ in chargeof liaisingwith the

officialsandtechnologyprovider,aswellashometeamDirectorofOperationsand/or

Facilities

6.6.4 VideoreviewtroubleshootingIfthevideoreviewtechnologyfailscompletely:

• theROimmediatelynotifiestheengineerinchargeofproduction,communications

and/ortechnology

• theVARnotifiestherefereeand/or4thbycommunicationdeviceorwalkie-talkie.

• thereferee(or4thofficial)notifiestheteamofficialsofbothteamsthatvideoreview

isnotactiveandwillnotbeactivatedfortheremainderofthematchunlessotherwise

notified

• ifvideoreviewbecomesactive,theVARshouldnotifytherefereeandthe4thofficial

shouldnotifytheteamofficialsofbothteams

Ifthevideoreviewcommunicationsfailpartially:

• theVARshoulduseawalkie-talkietocommunicatewiththe4thofficialwhowillnotify

theteamofficialsofboththatanyvideoreviewwillbeconductedviawalkie-talkievia

the4thofficial

Tobedetermined:

How production and the in-stadium audience is notified of the various circumstances

outlinedabove

6.6.5 VARrecordkeepingThe IFAB, in conjunction with the appointed research institute, will determine what

recordsshouldbekeptbytheVARofallpotentialreviewsituations;theserecordswillbe

animportantdatasourcefortheuniversity’sanalysisandforreferee-VAReducation

6.6.6 VARinformationtobroadcasters,stadiumannounceretc.Protocols will be produced relating to how, when and what information relating to

individual reviews (notably theoutcome)will be communicated to theTVproduction

team(especiallythecommentatorsandanalysts)andspectatorsinthestadium.Thiswill

usually be the responsibility of the AVAR who will use ‘standard’ terms for such

communication.

32/67

7. Experimenttimelines

Thetimelineshowstheoverallstructureoftheexperiment;individualcompetitionswill

followthisstructurebuthavetheirowntimelines,whichwillbeagreedwithTheIFAB.

Developmentofprotocol(January-April2016)

• Meetingsanddetaileddiscussionswithinterestedcompetitionorganisers

• Marketanalysisofavailabletechnologyandmeetingswiththesuppliers

• PresentationofthedevelopedprotocolsattheTSC,AdvisoryPanels,ABMandAGM

Preparationphase(March-November2016)

• Meetingsandworkshopsforparticipatingandinterestedcompetitionorganisers

• Educationofreferees;selectionandeducationofVARsinclosecollaborationwithThe

IFAB,thecompetitionorganiser/nationalFAandthetechnologyprovider

• AppointmentofKULeuven(Belgium)asresearchpartner

• Developmentofreportingplatform,proceduresanddocuments

• ImplementationofofflineandonlinetestingofVARsinfriendlymatches

ExperimentPhase1(early2017–May2017)–offlineandlivetests

• Monitoringexperimentsandpotential‘finetuning’

• Implementationofreporting

• Weekly/bi-weeklyfeedbackmeeting/callwithcompetitionorganisers

• Monthlyfeedbackfromdirectlyinvolvedstakeholders

• Bi-monthlyfeedbackfromnon-directlyinvolvedstakeholders

• Regularupdates/feedbackfromresearchinstitution/university

1st VAR Workshop

2nd VAR Workshop

3rd VAR Workshop

33/67

PreparationPhase2(March-July2017)

• Discussionswithallinvolvedpartiesandissuingfirstreports

• ProvisionofallrequiredinformationforIFABmeetings

• Potentialmodificationsofexperiments(subjecttothedecisionbyTheIFAB)

• ReviewoffeedbackfromKULeuven–potentialmodificationofprotocols/practices

ExperimentPhase2(August2017–March2018)

• Monitoringexperimentsandpotential‘finetuning’

• Implementationofreporting

• Weeklyfeedbackmeeting/callwithcompetitionorganisers

• Monthlyfeedbackfromdirectlyinvolvedstakeholders

• Bi-monthlyfeedbackfromnon-directlyinvolvedstakeholders

• Regularupdates/feedbackfromKULeuven

PreparationoffinalreportsforABM2017(November)andAGM2018(March)ora

SpecialMeetingafterconclusionofExperimentPhase2• Debriefwithallinvolvedparties,includingresearchinstitution/university

• ProvisionofallrequiredinformationforIFABmeetings

• Recommendationbasedonthefindingsoftheexperiments

34/67

8. Protocolclarifications

8.1 AdvantageIfareviewrevealsamissedpenaltykickforTeamA,butplayhascontinuedandagoalis

scoredbyTeamA,shouldthegoalstand?

WhataboutapotentialDOGSOinthepenaltyareainthefirstminuteofthegamewherea

goalisultimatelyscored?

Inbothcases,thegoalstands.TherefereemakesdecisionsasiftherewasnoVARandteams

cannotchoosebetweenapenaltykickandDOGSOoragoal,eveniftheformerisabetter

strategic option. If the reviewed penalty offencewas a DOGSO sending-off (RC), playing

advantagemeansthattheoffendingplayerreceivesaYC.

8.2 BalloutofplayHowshouldanunseen‘balloutofplay’bemanaged?

Iftheballwhollycrossesthegoallineortouchlineitisa‘fact’thatitisoutofplayandplay

must stop. If theball goes out of playprior toa goal/penalty incident, thegoal/penalty

cannotbeawarded;playmustrestartwiththecorrectrestartrelatedtotheballgoingout

ofplay.Theballgoingoutofplaydoesnotnegateaplayerbeingsentoffforadirectredcard

offence(exceptDOGSO)buttherestartrelatestotheballoutofplay.

TheVARshouldonlycommunicatetotherefereethattheballhasgoneoutofplayifthe

subsequentplayresultsinagoal,penaltyincidentorDOGSOredcard.

8.3 Disciplinaryaction–rescindingcardsIf, as the resultof a review, a sequenceofplay is ‘cancelled’, is thedisciplinaryaction

relatedtothatsequenceofplayrescinded?e.g.a‘notawarded’penaltyissubsequently

awardedbutbeforeplaystopsaDOGSOoccursintheopposinghalfofthefield.

In principle, anydisciplinaryaction taken remains in forceas players shouldalwaysact

withintheLawsoftheGame,soifaplayerwasguiltyofanoffencesuchasseriousfoulplay,

arecklesschallenge,dissent,offensivelanguage,unsportingbehaviouretc.thedisciplinary

sanctionwillremain.

However, for a DOGSO or ‘stopping a promising attack’ offence if the phase of play is

‘cancelled’thennopromisingattackorgoal-scoringopportunityexistedsoanyDOGSO/SPA

disciplinaryactiontakenshouldberescinded.

Iftherefereechangesorrescinds/cancelsanydisciplinaryactionitisveryimportantthat

this ismadeveryclear toeveryone (othermatchofficials,players, coaches, spectatorsetc.).Thisisespeciallyimportantwhereaplayerhasacaution(YC)rescinded/cancelledand

then receives a caution (YC) later in the game and is not sent off as this risks causing

confusion,criticising,andcontroversy.

35/67

8.4 Disciplinaryaction–yellowcardsIfduringareview,ayellowcardoffenceisidentified,cantheplayerbecautioned(YC)?

Ifduringareviewforagoal/penalty/redcardaclearyelloworredcardoffenceisidentified,

therefereemusttakethecorrectdisciplinaryaction.Forexample:

• areviewforapenaltyincidentclearlyshowsthattheattackerwasguiltyofsimulation

• areviewforagoalclearlyshowsthatanattackerdeliberatelyhandledtheballintothe

goal

• areviewforapotentialredcardforseriousfoulplay,clearlyshowsthattheoffencewas

‘reckless’andnot‘seriousfoulplay’

• areviewforapotentialredcardoffenceduringmassconfrontationclearlyshowsother

playersadoptinganaggressiveattitudetowardsanopponent

• a review of a DOGSO offence clearly shows that the offence was (only) ‘stopping a

promisingattack’

Therefereecannotinitiateareviewforacaution(YC).

8.5 GoalscoredafterapossiblepenaltyattheotherendofthefieldWhathappensifthereisapenaltyincidentatoneendofthefieldofplayfromapossible

offside situation but the referee does not award the penalty and the defending team

counter-attackandscoreagoal?

TheVARandrefereeshouldfirstdeterminewhetherornotaclearpenaltywasmissed:

• iftherefereedidnotmakeaclearerrorbynotawardingapenalty,thegoalstands(the

offsideisnotpenalisedastherefereehaseffectivelyplayedadvantage)

• iftherefereemadeaclearerrorinnotawardingapenaltykick,theoffsidesituation

mustthenbereviewed:

o iftherewasoffsideitmustbepenalised(advantagecannotbeplayedandthegoal

allowedasthe‘missed’penaltykickcannotbeignored)

o iftherewasnooffside,thepenaltyisawarded(andthegoalcancelled)

Therefereemusttaketheappropriatedisciplinaryactionifthepenaltyisawarded.

8.6 Goalscoredbefore/during/afterawhistleWhathappensifagoalisscoredbefore,duringoraftera‘wrong’whistlebythereferee

e.g.theARraisesflagforoffsideandtherefereewhistlesasagoalisscored?

Thereferee (withVARassistance if requested)mayallowthegoal if thewhistlewasnot

blownbeforetheballenteredthegoal(playersshouldignoretheflagandcontinueplaying).

8.7 GoalscoredfromanindirectfreekickDoestheprotocolpermitareviewtodetermineiftheballtouchedasecondplayerbefore

itenteredthegoalfromanindirectfreekick?

Theprotocolallowsareviewforanythingwhichrelatestothescoringofagoalincluding

whethertherewasa2ndtouchornotfromanindirectfreekick.

36/67

8.8 MisapplicationofLawWhatactionshouldtheVARtakeifamisapplicationofLawisclearlyidentified?

If thereisaclearmisapplicationoftheLawsoftheGamenot identifiedbytherefereeor

othermatchofficialse.g.aplayertouchestheballa2ndtimeatarestart(includingapenalty

kick),theVARmustinformtherefereeifagoalorpenaltysituationoccurs.

Inothersituations,whereitisamatterofthereferee’sjudgment(e.g.9.15matafreekick)

theVARshouldnotinformtherefereeastheVARisonlyforincidentswherethereisaclear

error/serious missed incident relating to a goal, penalty, direct red card or mistaken

identity.

8.9 MultiplereviewsHow should the VAR manage a situation where a number of potentially reviewable

incidents/offencesoccuratthesametimeorinquicksuccession?

TheorderinwhichreviewstakeplacewillbedeterminedlargelybytheVARandreferee’s

experienceandinstinct.Theaimwillbetoachievethecorrectoutcomeasefficientlyand

quicklyaspossible.Usually, the ‘first’ incidentwillbe reviewedas if this is changed then

everything that followed will probably become irrelevant (except for some types of

disciplinaryaction).

Themostsuitableorderwillbecomeevidentduringthereferee-VAReducationandisanarea

wheretheexchangeofinformationfromdifferentcompetitionswillbenefiteveryone.

8.10 Neutralzone/situationWhat is thedefinitionof the ‘neutralzone/situation’whentherefereestopsplay fora

review?

Theguidelinesforneutralzone/situationstoppagesaresimilartothosewhenthereisan

injuredplayeronthegroundinthepenaltyareai.e.playcanbestoppedwhenneitherteam

hasaclearattackingopportunity.

8.11 PenaltykicksandKicksfromthePenaltyMark(KFPM)Will penalty kicks be treated as a goal and, therefore, should the VAR review

encroachment,goalkeepermovementofftheline,etc.?

Therefereecaninitiateareviewforanoffencebythegoalkeeperorkickerwhichdirectly

affectstheoutcomeofthepenaltykickandthuswhetheragoalisscored.Ifanoffenceis

clearlyidentified,thenecessarydisciplinaryactionmustalsobetaken.

Encroachmentcanonlybereviewedif:

• anattackerwhoencroachedscoresorisdirectlyinvolvedinagoalbeingscored

• adefenderwhoencroachedpreventsanattackerplayingorbeingabletoplaytheball

inasituationwhereagoalmightbescored

37/67

Otherencroachmentoffencesandotherinfringementswhichdonotdirectlyaffectwhether

agoalisscoredcannotbereviewed.

8.12 Restarts–canadecisionbechangedafterplayhasrestarted?Ifarestarthasbeentaken,canpreviousdecisionsbereviewedandpotentiallychanged?

Law5isclearthatarefereecannotchangeadecisiononceplayhasrestarted;refereeswill

beencouragednottoallowplaytorestart if there isthepossibilityofareview.Theonly

exception is fordirectsending-offoffencessuchasviolentconductwherethedisciplinary

actioncanbetakenbutplaydoesnotreverttotherestartassociatedwiththatoffence(e.g.

theSuarez‘bite’intheWorldCup).

8.13 Whathappens if theVAR identifies a clearmistake in amatch-changingincidentaftertherefereehasblownthewhistleforhalf-

timeorfull-time?

The referee blows for half-time or full-time and the VAR then communicates that a

potentialclearerror/seriousmissedincidenthasoccurredbeforethewhistletoendthe

half–cantherefereereviewtheincident?

TheVARislikeanassistantreferee-ifanassistantrefereeisindicatinganoffencewhich

occurredbeforetherefereeblewthewhistle,therefereecanstilltakeactionaslongasthe

refereehasnotleftthefieldofplay.

If this situation occurs, the VAR should immediately tell the refereewho can inform the

players and stop them leaving the field of play. The incident should then be dealt with

accordingtothenormalVARprocedures(check,reviewetc.).

Toavoidsuchproblems,inthefinalminutesofahalf,theVARshouldimmediatelyinform

therefereeofanypotentialcheck/reviewsothat,ifpossible,therefereecanstopplay/delay

arestarttoavoidhavingareviewafterthewhistlefortheendofthehalfhasbeenblown.

8.14 What should the VAR do if a ‘check’ for a possible red cardidentifiesa‘missed’yellowcardoffence?

TheVARischeckingapotential‘missed’directredcardbutthecheckrevealsthatitwas

notaredcardbutwasaclearyellowcard–whatshouldhappen?

Nothing–areviewcanonlyoccuriftherehasbeeninaclearerrorinvolvingamissedred

card.Ifthecheckrevealsthataclearredcardwasnotmissedtherecannotbeareviewand

thereshouldnotbeanycommunicationwiththereferee,excepttoconfirmthattherewas

nomissedredcard.

‘Missed’yellowcardscanonlybeissuedaspartofareviewthatoccursbecauseofaclear

error/seriousmissedincidentinvolvingagoal,penalty,directredcardormistakenidentity.

38/67

8.15 Can the referee consult the VAR before deciding whether anoffenceisaRCorYC?

IftherefereeisunsureifanoffenceisaYCorRC,cantherebeareviewbeforeacardis

shown?

No.Inprincipletherefereemustmakeadecisionandshowacard.TheVARwillthencheck

theincidentandcanonlyrecommendareviewifaclearerrorhasbeenmade.Onlyinvery

exceptionalcircumstancecantherebea‘review’beforeacardisshown.

. 8.16 Cantherefereeaskforareviewforanoffencebyasubstituteor

teamofficial?

Thecoachbehavesbadlybutthisisnotseenbythereferee–canthisbereviewed? Reviewsareforincidentsrelatingtotheplayersbutareviewcouldbeusedinexceptional

circumstancesforaredcardoffenceoragoal/penaltye.g.asubstitute/team,official

commitsanoffenceagainstanopposingplayerormatchofficialorentersthefieldofplay

tostopagoal.

8.17 WhathappensiftheVARidentifiesaclear‘missed’penaltykickbutalsoanoffsideinthebuild-uptothemissedpenalty?

TheVARseesthattherefereehasmadeaclearerrorinnotawardingapenaltykickbut

therewasalsoaclear‘missed’offside/handballintheattackingphaseleadinguptothe

incident–whatshouldtheVARdo?

Thisisnoteasybutforthemanagementofthegameandtoavoidunnecessarycriticism

afterthematch,therefereeshouldbeinformedofbothsituationsatthenextstoppage.The

refereethenhas2optionsdependingonhow‘clear’themissedpenaltyerrorwasandthe

state/atmosphereofthegame:

• initiatea‘review’knowingitwillresultinadecisionthattherewasan

offside/handballbeforethe‘missed’penaltysonopenaltyisawarded(buteverything

iscleartoeveryone)or

• informthecaptainoftheteamthatwouldhavebeenawardedthepenaltythatthere

wasanoffside/handballbeforethe‘penalty’sothepenaltywouldnothavebeen

awarded(the4thofficialwouldinformthecoachandsomeoneinVORwouldinform

thebroadcasters)

8.18 Ifareviewdoesnotleadtoachangeddecisiondoestherefereemakeallowanceforthetimetaken?

BasedoninformationfromtheVAR,therefereestopsplaybutthereviewthenshowsit

wasnotapenalty-isallowancemadeforthetimetakenforthereview?

Yes–whenevertherefereestopsplayordelaystherestartofplayfora‘check’orfora

‘review’thetimebetweenthestartofthedelayandtherestartofplaymustbeincludedin

theadditionaltimeattheendofthehalfinwhichitoccurred.

39/67

9. Refereeeducation

9.1 GeneralAseducationisvital,permissiontomovefrom‘offline’to‘live’experimentswillnot

begivenbyTheIFABuntilsufficientofflineeducationhasbeencompleted.

Thesuccess(orotherwise)oftheVARsystemwillbejudgedprimarilyonthreefactors:

• theaccuracyofrevieweddecisions

• thenumberanddurationofreviews

• theimpactofreviewsontheflowandemotionsofthegame

TheeducationofallmatchofficialsandVARswillbecrucial.Althoughthemainfocuswill

beontherefereesandVARs(+AVARs),theeducationofARs,4thofficialsandAARs(where

used)willalsobeimportant.

Acrucialfeatureoftheeducationwillbetotrainreferees(andARs)toFORGETtheVAR

BEFORE givingadecision,but toREMEMBER theVARAFTER thedecision–referees

mustnotallowplaytorestartiftherecouldbeareview;ifnecessary,therefereeshould

createtimefortheVARto‘check’thesituation/decision.

Thebiggesteducationchallengeismovingfromthetheoreticaland‘classroom’practice

to the ‘real thing’. It is very important that referee and VARs get as much ‘match

simulation’practiceaspossibleasit iscrucialforthemtopractiseassessingsituations

‘underpressure’.Thetrialmatchesshowedthatitwasnoteasyforreferees,inthemiddle

ofamatch,tochangetheir‘vision’tofocusonaTVscreen,especiallywhentheymaybe

outofbreathandfeelingunderpressure.Equally,itisnoteasyforVARtoassesscomplex

situationswhenunderrealpressure.

ManypeoplewronglythinkthatbeingaVARsimplyinvolveswatchingthematchonTV

andgivingtherefereeadvice.ThosewhohavestudiedVARindetailand/orwhohave

followed theKNVB,MLSandFIFA trialmatches,knowthat it is farmorecomplex.No

competitionwillwantmajormistakes/delaysinthe‘live’useofVARsasthiswilldamage

the image of their competition (and the VAR system) andmay threaten the sporting

integrityofmatchesandpotentiallythewholecompetition.

Given the skills and experience required, VARs should be referees who are or have

refereed(andarestillinvolvedinrefereeing)atthelevelofthecompetitionusingVARs.

The IFAB will lead the referee education processes and will outline necessary

stages/activities, assist with workshops and coordinate education and publicity

resources,includinga‘library’ofmatchincidentsfortrainingandeducation.

40/67

Acrucial featurewillbenationalFAsandcompetitionssharinginformation(incidents,

mistakes, good practice etc.) and resources (clips of incidents, clips of VAR-referee

interactions,fullmatchesetc.).Thiscollaborativeandcollectivelearningwillbeessential

forrefereeeducationandthewholeVARexperiment; itwillbefacilitatedbyTheIFAB

platform.

9.2 WhocanbeaVideoAssistantReferee?SelectionofVARswillinevitablydependonresourcesandthetechnologysystem(match

centreorVARatthestadium).However,VARsshouldhaveexperienceofrefereeingatthe

toplevelinthecompetitionconcernedandcanonlybe:

• currenttoplevelreferees

• recentlyretiredtoplevelreferees

• formertoplevelrefereesstillactivelyinvolvedinrefereeing

TheVAR(andRA,ROandAVAR)mustbe‘neutral’inrespectofthecompetingteams.

Therangeofskillsrequiredinclude:

• proficiency with video replay and communication technology (including use of

graphics)

• abilitytoanalysevideofootagequicklyandcalmly

• highlevelofunderstandingoftheLawsoftheGame

• calmdisposition;goodunderpressure

• cleardiction(speaking)andexcellentcommunicationskills

• ‘team’player(notdictatorial)

• humble(notupsetifrefereerejectstheirrecommendation)

Competitionsshouldconsiderthevalueofeachrefereeregularlyworkingwiththesame

VAR,sothatVARbecomesamemberofareferee’s‘team’ofofficials.

9.3 EducationprogrammesAsignificantamountofmatchofficialandVAReducation(theoreticalandpractical)will

berequired–muchofitshouldbe‘jointeducation’sothatrefereesandVARsunderstand

thepressures/challengeseachgroupfacesusingtheVARsystem.Educationmustbeon-

goingandwillincreasinglybebasedontheexperienceoftheindividualcompetitionsand

feedbackfromothercompetitionsandTheIFAB.

ItwillbeimportantthatVARs,AVARsandROsaresufficientlyskilledandfamiliarwith

situationswhereareviewablesituationoccurswhenacheck/reviewistakingplace.

41/67

EverystageoftheeducationprocessmustincluderegularreinforcementthattheVARis

only used for ‘clear errors’ or ‘seriousmissed incidents’ - ‘was the decision clearly

wrong?’VARs,refereesandothermatchofficialsmustresistthe(perhapsunconscious)

temptationtousetheVARsystemfordecisionswhicharenot‘clearlywrong’orwhichfall

outsidethereviewabledecisionsprotocol.

9.3.1 TheoreticalVARs,AVARsandmatchofficials(especiallyreferees)mustfullyunderstandthedetailsof

alltheprotocolssotheycanapplythemefficientlyandcorrectlywhenunderpressure.In

particular,theymustclearlyknowthefactors,requirementsandrestrictionsrelatingto:

• whichincidents/offencescan/cannotbereviewed

• thedifferencebetweena‘check’(includinga‘silent’check)anda‘review’

• whatdeterminesa‘clearerror’

• howlongbefore/afteranoffence/incidentareviewispermitted

• judgingthe‘neutralzone/situation’whenplayneedstobestoppedforareview

• howareviewisinitiated,conductedandconcluded

• determiningwhetheranOFR isrequiredoradecisioncanbemadebasedonlyon

informationfromtheVARi.e.factualdecisions

• thebenefitsandpotentialdangersofslowmotionreplays

• positioning,movementandresponsibilitiesofallmatchofficialsduringthereview

• communicationprotocols

Thetheoreticaleducationwillbeextremelyimportantinestablishingaclearandeasily

applied understanding of which incidents/offences can and cannot be reviewed and

determining what constitutes a ‘clear error’ or ‘seriousmissed incident’ as these are

fundamentalandcrucialjudgments.

9.3.2 PracticalAswellasafullunderstandingofthetheoreticalrequirements,itwillbeessentialthata

considerableamountoftimeisspentpractising,refiningandreinforcing:

• howtooperatethereplaytechnology

• analysingfootageofincidents/offencesatnormalspeedandinslowmotion

• usinggraphics(especiallythe‘offsideline’)

• judgingthe‘neutralzone/situation’whenplayneedstobestoppedforareview

• determining when a ‘silent’ check is sufficient and when the referee needs to be

alertedtothepossibleneedforareview(orconfirmationthatdecisionwascorrect)

• indicatingtheinitiationofareviewandremainingawareoftheneedtodelay/prevent

therestartofplay

• determiningwhetheranOFRisrequiredorwhenadecisioncanbemadebasedonly

on information from the VAR e.g. factual decisions (position of offence/player(s),

pointofcontact,balloutofplay,goal/nogoaletc.)

42/67

• applying the most efficient order of reviews where several incidents occur

simultaneouslyorwithinashortperiodoftime

• usingthecommunicationprotocols

• using the positioning, movement and responsibility protocols during a review,

includingreducing,asfaraspossible,thetimetakenforareview

• indicatingtheoutcomeofareview,disciplinaryactionandhowplayrestarts

• keepingefficientrecordsofallpotentialreviewableincidents/offences(includingthe

outcome/finaldecision)

This education will involve a number of different off-field and on-field stages and

approaches

Off-fieldpracticaleducation

A considerable amount of time must be spent by each referee and VAR, working

individuallyandingroups,inthefollowingareas:

• studying and testing knowledge and understanding of all protocols and

recommendations

• usingfootageofmatchincidents/situations/phasesofplay/halfandfullmatchesto

practisejudgingwhichincidentscan/cannotbereviewed,whatconstitutesa ‘clear

error’or‘seriousmissedincident’and,forVARs,developingtheabilitytoconcentrate

forlongperiods.Theseexercisesshouldtakeplace:

o withouttimepressure

o undertimepressure,includingsomeelementof‘competition’betweendifferent

groupsofVARs

o usingdifferentreplayspeeds

Ideally,competitionswillestablishanonlineeducationplatformtoallowindividualsto

undertakepersonaleducation,reinforcementandrefreshment(remotetraining).

Inadditiontothevideo-basededucation,VARsandrefereesshouldregularly:

• practisecommunicationandexchangeofinformation,including:

o VARandrefereeindifferentrooms

o VARinaroominthestadiumandtherefereeonthefieldofplay

• practiseworkingwithROsandRAstoselectandreviewfootage

• practiserecordinginformationrelatingtoreviewableincidents/offences(VARs)

On-fieldpracticaleducation

ThisisthemostimportantareaoftherefereeandVAReducationandneedsconsiderable

time–itisvitalthat‘timeandemotionalpressure’arecreatedasthisiswhatthereferees

andVARsinthetrialmatcheshavefoundmostchallenging.

43/67

Afteraninitialphaseofvideo-basededucation,theeducationshouldextendtoconcurrent

on-field education using players to simulate match situations/phases of play. These

exercisesshouldfocusprimarilyon:

• applyingallprotocolswithplayerscreatingmatchsituations

• applying all protocols with players playing ‘normally’ (short and longer playing

periodsandthena ‘full’match) -playersshouldbeencouragedto ‘manufacture’a

varietyofreviewableincidents)

• being alert to the need to delay/prevent the restart of play, especially when the

offendingteam/playerattemptsaquickrestarttoavoidareview

• determiningwhetheranOFRisrequiredorwhenadecisioncanbemadebasedonly

on information from the VAR e.g. factual decisions (position of offence/player(s),

pointofcontact(foul/handball),balloutofplay,goal/nogoaletc.)

• determining when a ‘silent’ check is sufficient and when the referee needs to be

alertedtothepossibleneedforareview(orconfirmationthatdecisionwascorrect)

• indicatingtheinitiationofareview

• reducingthetimetakenforareview

• VARavoidingthe‘temptation’tocheckasituation/decision‘outofcuriosity’asthis

candistracttheVARfromwatchingthe‘live’action

• positioningandmovementoftherefereeandothermatchofficialsduringareview

Itisrecommendedthatthesesimulatedexercisesareusedtopractisedifferentlevelsof

impactonthereferee’sdecision-making:

• nocommunicationbetweenrefereeandVAR(practiceforVAR)

• communicationbetweenVARanda ‘surrogatereferee’(positionedon/closetothe

sideofthefieldofplay)–totestandrefinecommunicationprotocolsetc.thisisan

importantwayofcreating‘pressure’especiallyifusedduringa‘live’match

• communicationbetweenVARandrefereebutnoimpactondecisions(toallowthe

refereetobecomefamiliarwithtypeandlevelsofinformationbeingreceived)

• communicationbetweenVARandrefereetoapplyallreviewprotocolstodecisions

Allstageswillrequirecarefulanalysis,feedbackand,whereappropriate,refinementof

protocols,especiallythoserelatingtocommunicationandusingthereplaytechnology.

WhereVARswhoarenon-activerefereesareused,theymustspendsometimeinthese

practicalsessionsactingasthereferee(eitheronthefieldofplayorasa‘surrogate’near

thetechnicalarea)tounderstandtheVARsystemfromthereferee’sviewpoint.

9.3.3 On-field‘live’matchesEach competition/national FAwill reach a stagewhere it is ready to start using ‘live’

matches off-line as part of the education process. It is recommended that ‘offline’

educationusing‘live’matchesstartsassoonasrefereesandVARsareconversantwith,

44/67

andhavestartedtopractiseapplying,alltheprotocols.‘Live’matchesarevitaltocreate

the‘timepressure’whichdoesnotexistinsimulatedexercises.

Initially,‘live’matcheswillonlybeusedat3levels:

• no communication between the VAR and the match referee - other referees will

observetheVARand/oranalysethematch

• communication between the VAR and referee(s) located somewhere else in the

stadium,includingarefereeat/neartothefieldofplay/technicalareas

• communicationbetweenVARandthematchrefereebutwithnoimpactondecisions

(forfamiliarisationwithlevelsofinformationbeingreceived)

Thereisconsiderablevalueinusing‘live’matchesfor‘surrogate’trainingtodevelopthe

abilityofVARstoconcentrateonaTVscreenfor2x45minuteperiods

When a competition/national FA believes it is ready for all the VAR protocols and

practicestobeusedin ‘live’matches(includingfriendlymatches),permissionmustbe

obtainedfromTheIFABwhowillrequireclearevidencethatextensiveeducationofmatch

officialsandVARshas takenplace.To facilitate this,competitions/nationalFAsshould

keep The IFAB fully and regularly informed of the various stages of their education

programmes.

9.4 Trainingtopics9.4.1 GeneralTrainingshouldbestructuredtofocusonthedifferentreviewdecisions/offencesandat

varyingdegreesofcomplexity.

Trainingshouldincludeidentifying:

• decisions which should be decided only on information from the VAR (factual

decisionssuchasballin/outofplay,offenceinside/outsidepenaltyarea,positionof

player(s)foroffside,goal/nogoal)

• decisionswhentherefereewillusuallywanttoviewthefootage(OFR)(subjective

decisionssuchaswhetherachallengewasrecklessorexcessiveforce).

• situationswhentherefereeviewingthefootagewillhelp‘sell’thedecision(i.e.make

itmorereadilyaccepted)

• thevalueofindicatingclearlythattherefereewillundertakeanOFR

• when delaying the restart of play is important (VAR needs time to ‘check’ or

offender(s)tryingtopreventareview)

45/67

9.4.2 MainfocuspointsforrefereesandVARsThe structure of the training and education of referees should focus on the following

importantprinciples:

• theVARisonlytobeusedtocorrectCLEARERRORS inthedefinedsetofmatch-

changingsituations(goals,penaltyincidents,(direct)redcardsandcasesofmistaken

identity)andforseriousmissedincidents

• therefereemustALWAYSMAKEADECISION–thereisnooptiontosay“Idon’tknow

soIwilllookatthevideo”

• therefereeshouldtrytoFORGETabouttheVARBEFOREmakinganydecision

• therefereeshouldREMEMBERtheVARAFTERareviewablesituationhasoccurred,

beingreadytodelaytherestarttogivetimefora‘check’(whichmayleadtoareview)

• factual incidents/decisions (e.g. position of an offence, position of player(s) for

offside;pointofcontactforafoul/handball;balloutofplay,goal/nogoal)willnot

usuallyrequireanOFR

• identifying the ‘neutral zone/situation’ when play has continued and the VAR

recommendsareviewandtherefereeneedstostopplay

• whereagoalisabouttobescoredandanoffsideflaghasbeenraised,delayingthe

whistle may create the opportunity for a wrongly signalled ‘offside goal’ to be

allowed,ifthegoalisscoredbeforetherefereeblowsthewhistle

• beingreadyfortheunpredictable(oneinamillion)incident

• which order incidents should be reviewed when a complex/multi-incident

situationhasoccurred

9.4.3 MainfocuspointsforVARsThe training and education of the VARs should focus on the following important

principles:

• thefocus(forchecksandreviews)isonlyonCLEARERRORS

• theVARhasaresponsibilitytoensurethatincidentswhicharenotreviewable

arenotreviewed

• wherethereisrealpossibilityofaclearlyincorrectdecision,therefereeshouldbe

warnedsothattherestartofplaycanbedelayed

• identifyingwhenanew‘attackingpossessionphase’(APP)starts

• developingtheability toconcentrate for2x45minuteperiodsonaTVscreen;

usingthe‘reset’toidentifythestartofanewAPPassiststhisconcentrationprocess

• beingreadyforthe(oneinamillion)incident

• regularcontactwiththereferee(e.g.every10/15minutes)helpstherefereeknow

thatthesystemisstillworking

• helpingtherefereedecideinwhichorderincidentsshouldbereviewedwhena

complex/multi-incidentsituationhasoccurred

• clearcommunicationwithRO,RAandreferee

46/67

9.4.4 MainfocuspointsforARs,fourthofficialsandAARsThetrainingandeducationofARs,fourthofficialsandAARsshouldfocusonthefollowing

importantprinciples:

• onlytherefereecaninitiateareviewbuttheotherofficialscanrecommendareview

• ARsmustALWAYSMAKEADECISION–thereisnooptiontosay“Idon’tknowsoI

will lookatthevideo”.However, ifaplayeriswithinthepenaltyareaandaboutto

score and there is real doubt about offside (position or offence) delaying the flag

signalmaypreventamajorerrorwhichcannotbecorrectedifplayhasbeenstopped

• unless directly involved in the incident being reviewed, the other match officials

shouldbequietduringareviewtoavoiddistractingtherefereeandVAR

• theothermatchofficialsshouldrememberwhere/howthematchshouldrestart

• the other match officials shouldmonitor/manage the players/technical areas

whilsttherefereeisbusywithareview(especiallyanOFR)

9.4.5 Trainingforspecificdecisions/situationsTrainingmustcontinuallyfocuson:

• identifyingonlythosedecisions/situationswhichtheprotocolallowstobereviewed

• regularlystressingthatreplayscannotbeusedforotherdecisions/situations

• judgingwhichdecisionscanbereviewedbasedonlyoninformationfromtheVAR

• judgingwhichdecisions/situationsneedanOFR

• deciding which order to review different incidents/decisions when a complex or

multi-incidentsituationoccurs

Specificreviewabledecisions/incidents:

a. Goals

Allpossiblescenariosshouldbestudied/practised,withspecialattentiongivento:

• offencebythescorer:

o foulonanopponent

o handball

o offside

• balloutofplaypriortothegoal

• ‘goal/nogoal’decision(wherethereisnoGLT)

b. Penaltykick

• penaltykickwronglyawarded

• penaltykickwronglynotawarded

• locationofincident(insideoroutsidethepenaltyarea)

• balloutofplaypriortotheincident

• offencebygoalkeeper&/orkickeratthetakingofapenaltykick

• encroachmentbyanattackerordefenderwhobecomesdirectlyinvolvedinplayif

thepenaltykickreboundsfromthegoalpost,crossbarorfromthegoalkeeper

47/67

c. RedCard

Offenceseenby‘active’matchofficials

• violentconductandspitting

• seriousfoulplay(orrecklesschallenge)3

• DOGSO(especiallypositionofoffenceandpositionofotherplayers)

• massconfrontation

OffenceseenonlybyVAR

• violentconductandspitting

• seriousfoulplay(orrecklesschallenge)3

• DOGSO(especiallypositionofoffenceandpositionofotherplayers)


• benefitofindicatingareviewquicklyasnomatchofficialhasseentheincident

d. Mistakenidentity(redoryellowcard)4

• offencecorrectlydetectedbutthewrongplayersanctioned

• offenceincorrectlydetectedandthewrongplayersanctioned

e. Situationsofdifferentcomplexity

Specialattentiongiventothosesituationswhicharemorecomplexandchallenging:

• differentiatingbetween‘check’and‘review’

• periodofplaypriortoagoal/penaltykicksituation

• periodofplayafterapotentialreviewincident

• playcontinuingaftertheballhasclearlygoneoutofplay

• use of different replay speeds for ‘point of contact’ and for ‘intensity (foul) or

intention(handball)’

• restartdecision(includinglocation)whentheoriginaldecisionisoverturnedorplay

isstoppedforareview


• situationswhereapotentiallyreviewableoffencetakesplaceinonepenaltyareaand

playimmediatelymovestotheoppositehalf/penaltyarea

• situationswhichareonthemarginsofprotocolsorwhichrarelyoccur

• playneedstobestoppedforareviewbutitisdifficultidentifyingwhenplayisina

‘neutralzone/situation’

3Forpotentialseriousfoulplayoffences,iftherefereehaspenalisedtheoffence,areviewisonlypermitted

iftherefereehasgenuinedoubtastowhethertheoffenceexceedsthecriteriafor‘reckless’

4Thisincludeswhenaplayerfromthewrongteamispenalisede.g.EUROfinalwhenaFrenchdefender

waswronglypenalisedandcautionedforahandballwhichhadbeencommittedbyanadjacentPortuguese

player

48/67

• situationswhichrequireadditionaldisciplinaryactionorforadisciplinarysanction

toberescinded

• situationswherean‘offtheball’redcardoffenceiscommittedbyamemberofthe

teamwhichthenisawardedapenaltykickorscoresagoal

• situationswherean‘offtheball’redcardoffenceiscommittedbyamemberofthe

teamwhichthenconcedesapenaltykickoragoal

f. Multipleincidentsinquicksuccession

Probablythemostcomplexandchallengingsituationswillbethosewhereanumberof

crucialincidentsoccurinquicksuccession,e.g.

Example1

• possiblemissedpenaltyforTeamA

• counter-attackbyTeamB

• possibleoffsideandgoalscoredbyTeamB

Example2

• possibleoffsideagainstTeamA

• foulbyTeamBdefender–insideoroutsidepenaltyarea?

• DOGSOorseriousfoulplay?

Example3

• possiblemissedviolentconduct(offtheball)byTeamA

• counter-attackbyTeamB

• possibleoffsideandgoalscoredbyTeamB

g. Playermanagement

Aconsiderableamountoftrainingandeducationwillbenecessaryinrelationtoplayer

andteamofficialmanagementincluding:

• duringthereviewprocess–especiallywhentherefereeisintheRRA

• communicatingthefinaldecisione.g.liaisonwiththecaptain(s)

• oncethefinaldecisioniscommunicated,takingthenecessarydisciplinaryactionis

takenandensurethecorrectrestartatthecorrectposition

• wheretopositionaplayerwhoisduetobeshowntheredcardbutthedecisionis

beingreviewed(e.g.isolatetheplayernearthereferee,playertoleavethefieldofplay

butstayinthetechnicalareaorwiththe4thofficialetc.)

9.5 TrainingmaterialTheeducationofrefereesandVARs(andothers)willbeoffundamentalimportancetothe

VARexperimentandwillinvolveconsiderableuseofmatchfootage.Whilstusingclipsof

individualincidentswillbevaluable,itwillalsobeveryimportanttousewholematches,

especiallytohelpVARsdevelopconcentrationpowersandtheabilitytoidentifyaclear

errorinamatch-changingsituationafteralongperiodofinaction.

49/67

Individualcompetitions/countriesshouldarrangetoexchangeclips,wholematchesand

educationideaswitheachothertoallowtheirreferees,VARsandothermatchofficialsto

trainusingunfamiliarmaterial.Thiscollaborativeexchangewillplayavery important

roleinthesuccessorotherwiseoftheVARexperiment.

9.6 Recommendations from the FIFA Club World Cup (Japan -December2016)

TheFIFAClubWorldCupinJapaninDecember2016providedanin-depthopportunity

totesttheVARsystem,eventhoughfewofthematchesrequireda‘review’.

Judgingifa‘clearerror’hasoccurred

• VARsshouldtrusttheir‘firstfeeling’whenapotentiallyreviewableincidentoccurs

i.e.doesthedecisionimmediate‘feel’wrong?

• VARsshouldrememberthattheyshouldonlyintervenefor ‘clearerrors’andtheir

roleisnottore-refereethematchbuttoassisttherefereetoavoidclearerrorsonly

Offside

• ARsshouldcontinuetomakeoffsidepositiondecisionsasiftherewasnoVAR

• IfaplayerinthepenaltyareahasaclearopportunitytoscoreandtheARraisesthe

flagforacloseoffsidedecision,wherepossibletherefereeshoulddelaythewhistle

sothat,incertaincircumstances,ifagoalisscoredandtheoffsideflagwasincorrect,

thegoalcanbeallowed

Referees

• If,duringanOFR,therefereerequiresadifferentangle/speedtherequestmustbe

specifice.g.“showmetheviewfrombehindthegoal”or“showmethatchallengeinslow

motion”

• RefereeshouldverballyacknowledgeanycommunicationfromtheVARsotheVAR

knowsthattherefereehasheardthecommunication

• Refereesshouldallowtimeafteramajordecision(e.g.goalhasbeenscored,penalty

kickawarded)fortheVARtoundertakea‘check’

Systemmalfunction

• The(temporary)malfunctioninonematchofascreenintheVORandoneintheRRA

emphasisedtheneedforeveryonetoknowtheexactprotocolandproceduresifthere

isa(temporaryorpermanent)partialorfullmalfunctionoftheVARsystems

• This failure emphasisedwhy referees andARsmustALWAYSmake adecision i.e.

refereeasifthereisnoVAR

50/67

• If the RA becomes aware of an issue/problem in the RRA, the RO/VAR must be

informedimmediately

Team/coach/mediainformation

• Itprovedverybeneficial,whenbriefingteams/coaches/media,toshowthemclipsof

incidentswhicharelikelybereviewed–thismayhelpcreatemore‘fairplay’ifplayers

areawareofwhattheymightbepenalised/sanctionedforduringamatchasresultof

aVAR‘check’andsubsequent‘review’

Training

• Veryimportanttopractiseidentifyingthestartof‘attackingpossessionphases’

• WhenVARsarepractisinganalysingclipsof incidents,auseful trainingmethodto

create‘pressure’istomaketheVARawareofthetimebeingtakenforthe‘check’

• Hawkeyewereexcellentatproviding‘challenging’clipsforVARtraining

• Basedontheirworkinothersports,HawkeyecangiveinstructionstoVARtohelp

analysewhethertheballhasmadecontactwiththebody

VARprocedure

• TheVAR giving a verbal ’running commentary’ on play/incidents helps theRO to

identifywhena‘check’maybenecessary

• VARshouldremindtherefereetoshowtheTVsignwheneverareviewisinitiatedas

therefereemayforgettodoso(thisisariskwhenarefereeisnotusedtoundertaking

reviews)–theTVsignalisrequiredforALLREVIEWS,notonlyOFRs

• VARshouldproactivelyassisttherefereetoidentifyaplayerwhoisduetoreceiveYC

orRC(bettertopreventmistakenidentitythancorrectit)

• ItisveryusefultohavecommunicationbetweenVARandrefereeathalf-timetocheck

communication,issuesinthematchetc.

• If there is a 2nd VAR (not an AVAR), there should be discussions (pre-match and

duringthematch)todeterminewhataction/players/areaofthefieldeachVARlooks

ate.g.atacornerkickVAR1watchesplayinthegoalareawhileVAR2watchesplayers

runningtowardstheball

• Useful to have signs/notes/posters reminding the VAR of the key element of the

protocol–‘clearerrorsonly’etc.

• Allreplayanglesaresynchronisedsotheyallshowplayatexactlythesamemoment

51/67

10. Analysingthedata

10.1 GeneralUltimately,TheIFABwillhavetodecidewhethervideoassistanceisincorporatedintothe

LawsoftheGame.Thisdecisionwillbebasedontheanswertothequestion:

‘DoestheimplementationofVARsimprovethegame?’

Toanswerthisquestion,TheIFABhasappointedKULeuven(Belgium),auniversitywith

considerableexpertiseinbothreferee/footballresearch,togatherandanalysetheVAR

data.TheirresultswillbevalidatedbyTUMünchenandHarvarduniversities.Theirdata

gatheringandanalysiswillaimtoanswerthefollowingsub-questions:

A. Whatistheimpactonrefereeing?• Behaviourofreferees

• Behaviourofothermatchofficials-assistantreferees,additionalassistantreferees

andfourthofficials

• Fairplay&applicationoftheLawsoftheGame

B. Whatistheimpactonthegameitself?• Interruptionstothegame

• Simplicityofthegame

• Behaviourofplayersandcoaches

C. Whatistheimpactontheemotionsofthegame?

• Playersandcoaches(e.g.goalcelebrations)

• Fanexperience(inthestadium&TV)

• Mediareaction

Competition organisers will be required (under the direction of The IFAB and the

university) to collect and transmit to KU Leuven and The IFAB detailed match

information, includingmatch footageand,potentially, footage filmed in theVARroom.

Theywillalsoberequiredtocollectandtransmitfeedbackfromstakeholderswhoare

directlyinvolved(referees,players,coachesetc.).

Feedbackfromstakeholderswhoarenotdirectlyinvolvedintheexperiments,especially

footballfans,referees,playersandcoaches,willalsobeanalysed.

KULeuven’sreportshouldprovideTheIFABwiththebroadestpossiblebasisuponwhich

aVARimplementationdecisioncanbemade.

52/67

10.2 DatacollectionTheIFAB,incooperationwithKULeuven,hasdevelopedanonlineapplicationwherein

allthedataoftheoffline,semi-liveandlivetrialswillbegathered.Alltheprojectmanagers

willbeprovidedaccesstothisplatform.

Theprojectmanagers,appointedbythecompetitionorganisers,arerequiredtoupload

theclipsfromallthechecksandreviewswithin72hoursaftereachmatchwithoffline,

semi-liveandlivevideoassistance.Thebestfootages(mostlytheoperatoroutput)willbe

used.

Oncetheclipsareuploaded,theprojectmanagersshouldcompleteboththematchand

theclipsurveys.Thesequestionnaireswillcollectdetailedinformationaboutthematch,

includingallchecksandreviews,andthedecision-makingprocedure.

Otherstakeholderswhoareinvolveddirectlyintheexperimentwillbequestionedusing

differentdatacollectionmethods.

10.3 DataanalysisThedatacollectedfromallthematchesusingVARswillbeanalysedandreportedona

regularbasistoTheIFAB.

Allthedatafromtheofflinetrialswillbeusedasabenchmark.Thedataofthelivetrials

will be analysed and comparedwith the offline trials. Together with the information

gatheredfromtheotherdirectlyinvolvedstakeholders,theaimistoexploreiftheusing

VARs leads to ‘minimum interference’ (loss of time, etc.) with ‘maximum benefit’

(increaseddecisionaccuracy,etc.).TheIFABwilluseexpertstodetermineareference

decision for a selection of ‘grey zone’ clips to protect the consistency, reliability and

validityofthedatacollectedthroughtheonlineapplication.

10.4 EducationItwillalsobepossibletoshareinterestingclipsforeducationalpurposesafteraclipis

suggestedbyaprojectmanagersandapprovedbyTheIFAB.Educatorswillhaveaccess

totheplatformtousethesharedclipsintheirworkshopstotraintherefereesandVARs.

53/67

11. Technologyandorganisation

11.1 VARTechnologyThevideoreplaytechnologyisatailor-madesystemforfootball,whichisoperatedbya

replayoperator(RO),andprovidestheVARswiththebestavailablecameraanglesinthe

fastestpossibletime.Basedondiscussionswiththetechnologyprovidersinvolvedinthe

experimentandparticipatingnationalFAsandcompetitionorganisers,andexperience

fromtestingphase1oftheexperimentthefollowingrequirementshavebeenidentified

asminimumstandardsforthetechnologicalsetupfor‘live’trialsintestingphase2.

Thisstandardshouldensure thehighestpossiblequality for theVARsandrefereesall

over the world and consistency among the participating competition organisers.

Moreover,itisbeimportantforthereportingprocessinorderthattheselecteduniversity

cancomparedatafromthevariouscompetitions.

11.1.1 KeyobjectivesInorderthatVARsareabletoimprovethegamewiththeirsupportforthereferee,the

followingkeyobjectivesfromatechnologicalpointofviewhavetobefulfilled:

• VARandrefereesshouldbeabletousedifferentVARsystemsinthesamewaywithout

additionalspecialtraining

• The VAR system and the operating review process should support the VARs and

refereestomakeconsistentdecisions

• ThebestcameraanglesshouldbeprovidedinthefastestpossibletimetotheVARand

tothedeviceintheRRAforpotentialreviewsbythereferee

11.1.2 StrategyInordertoachievetheseobjectivesthefollowingstrategyhasbeendefined:

a. StandardisationofthedevicesoperatedbytheVARsandreferees

b. Minimumrequirementsfortechnologicalsetup

c. Definitionoftheoperatingreviewprocess

11.1.3 Minimumrequirements:‘Live’trialsintestingPhase2The entire review process should be controlled by the competition/match organiser.

Basedon the trials in testingphase1 the followingminimumrequirementshavebeen

definedforthe“live”testingphase2:

54/67

Videooperationroom(VOR)

Minimumrequirements:

Camerafeeds:

• Theareamusthaveindependentaccessto,andreplaycontrolof,allbroadcastfeeds

andcameraangleswhichfocuspartially(zoom)orentirely(wide-angle)onthefield

ofplayandtheTVprogrammefeed

• AllcamerafeedsusedfortheVARreviewmustbeavailableforthebroadcasteras

well

• Allavailablecamerafeedsmustbesynchronisedandshownonthescreensinreal

time(delaylessthanonesecondtoreal-time)

• Transmissionof‘live’feedfrominsidetheVORtothematchbroadcaster

• Recordingofallisolatedcamerafeeds,TVprogrammefeedandreviewprocessinside

VOR(includingsound)

• Cameras angles should have names/titles (e.g. AR1 and AR1 reverse) and these

names/titlesshouldappearonthescreensintheVORandRRA

• There is no requirement regarding the number of cameras in testing phase 2.

Howeverduetothefactthattherearemanycrucialdecisionsinthepenaltyareas

(especiallyoffside)sothereisvalueinhavingacamerainlinewith/closetothegoal

areafrontline(5.5m)

Workingstation:

• TheVORoperationscanbelocatednear/inthestadium(inavehicleorroom),orata

centralisedreplayfacilityandrequiresaVARandAVAR

• TheVARshouldusetwoscreens.OnonemonitortheVARcanfollowthematchin

real-timeand the secondshouldbeused for theactual reviewprocess.TheAVAR

shouldhaveapersonalownmonitortowatchthelivefeedswhileacheckisongoing.

i. TwoscreensandonetaggingdevicefortheVAR• Standard“live”monitor(e.g.camera1)

• Touchscreen“output”monitorwith2-5secondsdelayofincidents

ii. Dedicated“live”screenandonetaggingdeviceforAVAR• Standard“live”monitor(e.g.camera1)

• Nouseofoffsidegraphicsfrommatchbroadcaster,onlyifapproved(see5.3.5)

• Zoomin/outfeatureshouldbeavailableforreviewprocess

• Pre-match agreement of camera angles including pre-sets of best camera angles

betweencompetition/matchorganiserandtechnologyprovider

• EstablishedcommunicationlinebetweenVORandmatchbroadcaster

• ThemainROcanmonitoramaximumof12cameraangles.Asofcameraangle13

anotherROismandatory.

Otherareas:

• Visitorsshouldnotbeallowedinthe30minutesbeforekick-offtoallowtheVARand

AVARtoprepareandfocus

• LightingintheVORmustenabletheVARs,ROsandanyonewhoenterstheroomto

beidentified;thefootageisneededforeducationandforintegritycontrol

55/67

Figure:Exampleforasetupatavideooperationroom(VOR)–inmostcompetitionsVAR2=AVAR

Refereereviewarea(RRA)

Requirements:

• CabledoutdoordeviceattheRRA

• Coverfromweatherconditionsandforsecurity–thelocationoftheRRAinrelation

to prime seating, advertising, security etc. will be a major consideration in each

stadium

Headsetcommunication

Requirements:

• TheVARheadsetmustbeintegratedintothematchofficials’headsetsystem

• TheheadsetsoftheAVAR,ROandRAshouldalsobeintegratedinthecommunication

systembutshouldonlyallowlisteningtothecommunication;onlyheadphonesare

allowedsincetheyaremoreeffectivethanear-pieces

• RecordingofthecommunicationbetweentheVARandreferee

• Push-to-talk feature for the communication between VAR and referee (to avoid

distractionscausedbydiscussionsbetweenVARandAVAR/RO)

• The ‘talk’ button should switch offwhennot presseddown so it does not remain

‘open’ at the end of a communication as this can distract thematch officials and

potentiallyleadtoconfusionandevendecisionerrors.

11.1.4 TechnologyProviders• Avid

• BroadcastSolutionsGmbH

• ChyronHegoAps

• ColosseoEASa.s

• DartfishLtd.

56/67

• DVSport

• EvertzMicrosystemsLtd

• EVSBroadcastEquipment

• Hawk-EyeInnovationsLtd

• Mediapro

• Misuresport

• MyPlayxPlay

• SBGSportsSoftware

• XOSDigitalInc.

The following outlines some important findings and recommendations from thework

alreadyundertakenbytheMLS.

11.1.5 Technologybestpracticeandkeyfindings• High functionalityof equipment–numberof screens; clarity; speed; slowmotion;

zoom;splitscreen;touchscreen;graphicsfrombroadcastortechnologyproviderif

verified,butnotfromboth.

• Efficient processes and support of VAR, including the identification of potential

views/angles; tracking of one or more infringements and/or incidents at a time;

understandingofthegame.

• Appropriate qualities and disposition of RAs – technically competent, proactive,

supportive,communicative,facilitators.

• Training tools – database of role-play clips; effective feedback on VAR-RA/RO

communicationandVARinterfacewithtechnicaltools;remotetrainingtool.

• Documentation–manual taggingandrecordingof incidentsreviewedduringeach

trainingand/ormatchaccompaniedbyvideoandaudiofootage.

11.1.6 KeyFindings• ThelocationofVOR,includingitsproximitytotheproductionroomandconnection

totheon-fieldmonitor,needstobeawell-thoughtoutplanpervenue.

• Technologyprovidermightbethemostexpensivelineitemofvideoreview(barring

the development of a ‘Command Centre’) due to per-game fees, RA travel costs,

equipmentshipping,andtrainingtools.

• Intheory,severalinterestedvendorsmayhelpkeepexpensesincheck.

11.1.7 Productionbestpracticeandkeyfindings• Allocationofeight(8)camerastraditionallyusedforMLSbroadcastsand,atthevery

least,thefollowingin-stadiumlocations:Gamemidfield,tightmidfield,lowmidfield,

left18,right18,highendzone;names/titlesshownonVOR/RRAscreens

• 4K cameras on the end-lines to capture ‘crossing the line’ incidents, goal mouth

incidentsandoffside

• Set up conducted 5+ hours before kick-offwith rehearsal checks that include the

technologyprovider

• Allocation of time leading up to and during setup to establish functionality of all

appropriateconnections

57/67

• Connectiontotheon-fieldmonitorwithvenue-specificchallengesconsidered

• Designationofa ‘ProductionVideoReviewEngineer’ inchargeof liaisingwith the

DirectorofBroadcastingandthetechnologyprovider,aswellasfortroubleshooting

purposes

• ‘Faxing’ in feeds is a critical step and will limit, but not eliminate, production

challenges

• Adjustingfootageforbrightnessbasedontimeofdaywillhelpprovidethebestimage

toVARs

• Considerationshouldbemadeforreverseleftandright18szoomedoutforoffside

andreverseangleperspectives5

• Mannedreverseanglecamerasrequireunderstandingandtrainingforoffside

• Extracamerasshouldbeavailableasredundancies(backup)forcamerafailure

• Acontingencyplanandtroubleshootinglistshouldexistforotherproductionfailures

• Syncedcamerasusing‘beacons’ensuretimingisexact,especiallyonsplitscreenplays

(offside)

• MustuseeithergraphicsprovidedbytheVARtoexplaindecisionsorverifiedself-

createdimages

11.1.8 Productionchallenges• Stabilityproblemsturnedscreenstemporarilyblack

• AtleasttwoMLSgamesthisseason(‘16)havefailedforextendedperiodsoftime(1-

6minutes).

• A feedwas unpluggedmistakenly at field level and in the VideoOperation Room

resultinginnofeedforanentiregameduringthePortlandTrial.Thethreatoflosing

the entire broadcast if troubleshooting was to be initiated minimized immediate

options.

• ‘Routers’werenot‘reset’socolourbarsreplacedfieldimagesonspecificscreens;no

pointpersonfromproductionwasavailabletotroubleshootand,therefore,required

individualswithothervideoreviewresponsibilitiestoseeksupport.

• Nocommunicationwasestablishedbetweenreverseanglecameraoperatorsandthe

productionbooth/trucknegatingtheabilitytotroubleshootapoorapproachand/or

fixbrightnessissuesassociatedwithpre-dusktimeofmatch.

• ‘Racks’forlightingwerenotset/operable.

• FAX (facilities) checks were supposed to eliminate concerns, but did not do so

periodically.

• Incriticalmoments(penaltykick),feedsarefocusedonthewrongornon-competitive

image(fans).

• Feedsgodown;brightnessofonefeedwasoff(toodark);onefeedwastoozoomed

intotheplay;staticreversecamerawasnotfocusedenoughonthefield(toomuch

stadiumview).

• Anappropriateandeffectivepolicymustbeestablishedifsome/allcamerasarelost.

5Reverseanglecameraswerefoundtobecriticalforincidentsontheoppositesideofthefieldand/or

whereplayerslimitedorobstructedtheviewnecessaryfortheVARtomakeadecision.

58/67

• TheItalyvFrancematchinBariwasproducedasadoublebroadcastproductionwith

23camerafeedsand2worldfeeds.Thepreparationofthematchidentifiedadditional

challengesforsuchasetup:

• cablingtotheothersideofthestadium(e.g.infrastructureetc.)

• communicationwithbothproductioncompanies(differentlanguages)

• operationalchallengetoidentifythebestcameraangles

• additionalcosts

11.1.9 CommunicationproviderbestpracticesBestPracticesforCommunicationDeviceProviderandUser:

• Testwiredandwirelessconnectionsbeforethematchincludingthosebetweenthe

referee,ARs,4th,andVAR.

• Provide‘listenerdevices’forthetwo(2)RAs;VARs‘In-Training’;engineers;and,for

Competitionand/orPROrepresentatives.

• Walkie-TalkieswillbesuppliedforVAR-4thOfficialcommunicationsasabackupin

theeventofredundancy(failureofcommunicationsystem).

• Officialsmustkeepmicclosetomouthforoptimaluse.

• Inpre-matchtesting,officialsshouldspeakforcefullyandwitha‘fieldvoice’.

• IfusingPTT,officialsshoulddelayasecondbeforespeakingtoallowPTTtoactivate,

• VARmustbecomeaccustomedtothemechanismusedtoopenandclosetheirmic

during direct communication with the referee versus that with the technology

providerRA.

• Designatea ‘CommunicationVideoReviewEngineer’ in chargeof liaisingwith the

officialsandtechnologyprovider,aswellashometeamDirectorofOperationsand/or

Facilities.

• In the ItalyvFrancematch inBari, therefereeswereverypleasedwith theaudio

qualityoftheRefComs,onceproblemswerefixedbyAdeunis/VokkeroandHawk-

Eye. It is recommended that theVARtechnologyprovidershouldhaveacomplete

RefComsystemforeachmatchandmustguaranteethatitworksclearly,reliablyand

withoutstaticinterference.TheprovidershouldbeincontactwithAdeunis/Vokkero

or other system providers to ensure the use of the best available hardware and

configuration.Therefereeorcompetitionorganisershouldprovidetheheadsetsthat

plugintotheradios.

• In Japan it was clear that communication with the broadcasters etc. can not be

undertaken by the VARs or the main RO, especially when there are language

considerations

59/67

11.2 OrganisationalmattersTheuseofVARsdoesnotrequireanychangestothefieldofplayorthegoals;however,

goalnetsmustbeplainwhitetopreventdistractionorfootagedistortion.

11.2.1 Refereereviewarea(RRA)• The exact location of the RRA will need careful consideration in relation to TV

cameras,primeseating,advertisingspace,securityetc.

• The‘reviewarea’(RRA-wheretherefereeseesthevideofootage)mustbevisible

andhavea ‘noentry’ surroundingarea clearlymarkedwith lines (not cones) and

protectedfromplayers,teamofficialsetc.

• TheremustbesufficientpersonneltopreventanyoneotherthantherefereeandRA

enteringtheRRAatanystage(unlesstherefereerequiresofanothermatchofficial)

• No form of commercial advertising, whether real or virtual, is permitted on the

groundwithintheRRA(thisisconsistentwithLaw1–technicalarea)

• TheRRAneedsomecovertoprotectthescreenfromtheweather,theball,thrown

objectsetc.,and,insomecases,toprotecttheRAandthereferee.

Reviewassistant(RA)

• Therewillbea(neutral)RAintheRRAwhoseroleistoassisttherefereetoviewthe

footagerecommendedbytheVAR&/orrequestedbythereferee.

• TheRAshouldhaveahighleveloftechnologyskills–understandingoffootballand

especiallyrefereeingwouldbeadvantageous

• TheRAmustnotcommunicateanyinformationaboutdecisionsorreviewstoanyone

otherthantherefereeandtheVAR

11.2.2 Videooperationroom(VOR)TheVORwill eitherbe in/near to the stadiumorata central location (matchcentre).

Therewillbesignificanttechnologyrequirements(outlinedintheTechnologysection).

Dependingonthenumberofmatchesbeingmonitoredintheroom,theremustbeenough

ROs(well-trainedandwithrelevantexpertise)andanAVARtoassisttheVARselectthe

bestfootage(anglesandreplayspeed)asquicklyaspossiblefor:

• checksbytheVARforsuspected/potentialreviewableincidents/offences

• anyreviewrequestedbythereferee

AllactivityintheVORwillberecordedbycamerawithsoundto:

• ensureintegrity–recordingswillidentifyeveryoneenteringandleavingtheVORand

anyattempttoexertinfluenceon,orinterferewith,aVAR,AVARorRO

• provideeducationmaterial

• providematerialtoevaluatetheperformanceofindividualVARs

• a talkpanelwillbeneededtocommunicatewith thebroadcaster (as, for integrity

reasons,mobilephonesarenotpermittedintheVOR)

60/67

Forreasonsofintegrityandtransparency:

• for apre-determined timebefore thematchuntil apre-determined timeafter the

match,awrittenrecord(signinginandsigningoutshowingname,function,timeetc.)

mustbekeptforeverypersonwhoentersorleavestheroom

• alloccupantsoftheVORwillhavethesamerestrictionsontheuseofmobilephones

etc.asapplytothematchofficials

• theItalyvFrancematchinBarihighlightedtheimportanceoftheneedforsecurity

around the VOR, especially if it is a van in the TV compound or any area where

unauthorisedpeoplehaveaccess.Aswellassecurity,anexposedVORlocationcan

causeissuesrelatingtodistractions,undueinterference/influence

• To allow the occupants of the VOR to prepare for the match NO ONE should be

permittedtoentertheVORfrom30minutesbeforekick-off–thisisespeciallytrue

forvisitors.Thesamerestrictionshouldapplyathalf-time.Officialobservers from

FIFAorTheIFABarepermittedtobeintheVOR

11.2.3 Videofootage• onlytheofficialbroadcasting‘feeds’maybeused,butwithoutcommentary

• theVARandROmusthaveindependentaccessto,andreplaycontrolof,theofficial

broadcastfootage

• Broadcaster graphics e.g. the offside ‘line’will not be used unless ‘referee expert’

inputisinvolvedintheirproduction

• TheVARandrefereeshoulduseslowmotionreplaysonlyfor ‘pointofcontact’for

physicaloffencesandforhandball;normalspeedshouldbeusedforthe‘intensity’of

anoffenceortodetermineifhandballwas‘deliberate’.

11.2.4 Camerainformation(general)Thegeneralrequirementsforcameraperspectivesfortheprovisionofthe‘best’anglesof

eachincidentfortheVARinclude:

ThebestcamerapositionsidentifiedbytheKNVB’spilotstudyare:

• High-camerapositions(overview;penaltyarea)

• Low-camerapositions(onthetouchlines;onthegoallines)

• Minimum requirements based on feedback from other sports and technology

providers:

• Close-upview,

• Wideangleview,

• Penaltyareaviews(solutionfortheindicationofoffside);

Thereisconsiderablevalueinhaving‘reverseangle’footageavailable.

61/67

The‘best’cameraanglesforthedifferentareasonthefieldofplaymustbepre-setand

synchronizedsotheVARandROareabletoswitchtoaspecificframefromadifferent

anglewithinonesecond.

One camera should be filming the field of play throughout – this may be especially

importantduringareviewincasethereismisconduct.

As part of the pre-match preparation, the referee, VAR, RA and RO should agree the

names/titles of the different camera angles and, where possible, these names/titles

shouldbevisibleonthescreensintheVORandRRA.

62/67

12. Matchdayorganisation

MLShasprovidedTheIFABwiththefollowingrecommendations:

12.1 Videoreviewmatchtimeline

12.1.1 MatchOfficials• 120minutes Arrivalatfieldofplay

• 105minutes Fieldinspection–firsttestofcommunicationswithVAR

• 60minutes Teamlistofplayersandteamofficialsreceived

• 30minutes Warmupstarts–secondtestofcommunicationswithVAR

• 7–10minutes Walkout–thirdtestofcommunicationswithVAR

• 0minutes Kickoff(VideoReviewstarts)

• 22ndMinute Check-in1

• Halftime Check-in2

• 66thMinute Check-in3

• EndofMatch Finalcheck-in

12.1.2 VideoAssistantReferee• 120minutes Arrivalatfield

• 105minutes Firsttestofcommunicationswithcrewduringfieldinspection

• 60minutes Rosterofplayersreceived–meetwithHawkeye–familiarizewith

TV setup – backup communications checked – review

communicationsprotocol

• 30minutes Secondtestofcommunicationswithcrewatstartofwarm-ups

• 7–10minutes Thirdtestofcommunicationswithcrewduringwalkout

• 0minutes Kickoff(VideoReviewstarts)

• 22ndMinute Check-in1

• Halftime Check-in2

• 66thMinute Check-in3

• EndofMatch Finalcheck-in

• 97thminute testofcommunicationsby4thofficialwithReferee(knock-out

stagematches)

12.2 Videooperationroom(VOR)setupchecklist• VideoReviewManual+printedversionofcamerasetup(frombroadcasters)

• Copy of themost current Laws of the Game, CompetitionManual andOperations

Manual

• Protocolbook

• Teamlists(seebelow)

• Flowchartsandcommunicationguides

• GameDayTimeline

• OfficialMatchRoster

63/67

• Listofcontactsandcontactinformation

• Protocolandcommunicationsplacard

• Technologyproviderequipment+detailsofcamerasetup(frombroadcasters)

• Connectiontoon-fieldmonitor

• Tableandchairs

• Generatorinsidebooth

• Dimmerforroominsomecases;blackoutcurtainsinothercases.

• Smallfan/aircondition

• Securityguard

• Gameclock

• Towel

• Awalkie-talkieonaprivatechannelconnectedtothe4thofficialstable

• Asterileenvironmentfreefromvisualand/oraudibledistractions

12.3 Teamlists(Gamenotices)Teamlistsshouldbemadeavailabletothefollowing:

• IntheVORfortheVARandAVAR

• IntheRRAfortheRAandreferee(forpotentialuseinanOFR)

• 4thOfficial(redundancy)

• Refereeliaison

• TechnologyProviderReviewAssistant

• Referee

• PROHeadofVideoRefereeing

• CompetitionHeadofVideoReview

• StadiumOperations

• LeagueOperations

• StadiumProduction

• LeagueBroadcasting

• HomeTeamContact

• CommunicationDeviceProvider

• TechnologyProviderandCommunicationDeviceProviderEngineers

• ProfessionalMatchEvaluator

• RefereeAssessor

12.4 VARpre-matchbestpracticePre-matchVARactivitiesshouldincludethefollowing(dependingonVORlocation):

• Attendthepre-gamemealandarriveatthestadiumwiththerefereecrew;ifVORnot

in/nearstadiumestablishearlycontactwithreferee(phone/Skypeetc.).

• Arriveatthevideoreviewboothatleastanhourandhalfbeforethematch.

• Dressasanofficial(nosuits,ties).

• ReviewVORsetupchecklist.

• ReviewGameNotice.

64/67

• Practicemanipulatingtouchscreentechnology(touchtoactivate;usetwofingersfor

zooming;useonefingertomoveimage)andclicker.

• ReviewProtocol,Flowcharts&CommunicationsManual/Placard.

• ReviewOfficialMatchRosters

• ReviewOfficialMatchTimeline

• Gothroughpre-matchcommunicationcheckswithcrew.

• Establishprocessforin-gamecommunicationcheckswiththereferee.

• Mute all broadcasting commentary and eliminate graphics other than those

authorized.

• Conduct three or more hypothetical scenarios with the referee before or during

warm-ups.

• Bringapadtowriteplayer#s,action,andresultingdecisionwhilecommunicating

withthereferee.

• Ensuretechnologyproviderequipmentissetupandworkingcorrectly.

• Evaluateproductionfeedcameraangles,brightness,andfunctionality.

• Locate and test stadium-based communication headset and walkie-talkies as a

redundancy.

• Eliminatelightingissues(glareetc.)usinglightdimmer,blinds/shades,etc.

• EstablishrapportwithtechnologyproviderRA

• Ensuresecurityandprivacyofroom.

• Confirmsecurityguardpresenceatdoorway.

• Removefood,butwater,coffeeand/orotherdrinksarepermitted.

12.5 VARin-matchbestpracticeTheprocessforVARsduringthegameshouldgenerallyresemblethefollowing:

• Watchthegameonthelarge,centrallylocatedmonitor

• Clickbuttonduringincidents

• Rewindtocheckincidentswhennecessaryandappropriate

• Communicatecheck/reviewtoRA/refereewhenapplicable

• DescribeincidenttoRAandaskforviews/anglestobedroppedintothe

• appropriatemonitor

• Reviewflowchartsteps

• Usecommunicationprotocol

• Provideinformationandfactstorefereewherewarrantedandappropriate

Additionally,VARsshouldrememberthefollowingin-matchactivities:

• ‘Check-in’withrefereeatthe22ndminute,half-time,66thminute,80thminuteandat

theendofthematch.

• Over-communicatewithRA

• Usebuttonliberallytomarkpotentialkeymatchincidentsandinfringements

• Beproactiveinanalysis,feedbackanddisposition

• Wipemonitorsbeforematchandathalftimewithatoweltoeliminatetouchmarks

• Becognisantofcheck/reviewdifferences,includingrespectivesteps,communication

protocol,requirements,etc.

65/67

13. PRandcommunication

A comprehensive communication strategy will be essential to educate participants,

stakeholders,fans,themediaetc.thatthemainaimoftheexperimentisonlytoeliminate

clear errors in match-changing situations and deal with serious ‘missed’

incident/offencesi.e.minimuminterference–maximumbenefit’

Itwillbeextremelyimportanttoemphasisethat:

• toensurethatthereferee(nottheVAR)isthekeymatchofficial,therefereewill

ALWAYSmakeadecision(excepta‘missed’usually‘offtheball’incident)

• adecisionwillONLYBECHANGED ifthevideoreviewshowsaCLEARERROR i.e.

whenthedecisionisconsideredclearlywrong

• thecrucialquestionisNOT‘wasthedecisioncorrect?’but‘wasthedecisionclearly

wrong?

• everyone(allcompetitions,nationalFAsandFIFA)isusingthesameprotocol-‘one

protocol–usedbyall’

Itwillbevery importanttoestablishthattheaimisnottoachieve100%accuracyfor

everydecisionasthiswoulddestroytheessentialflowandemotionsofthegamewhich

result from football being devoid of frequent lengthy stoppages. This will require

justificationforthelimitsestablishedfortheuseofvideoassistance.

The underlying principles of the experiment and its conduct and analysis must be

effectivelycommunicatedtothefootballworld,includingemphasising:

• Therewillbeanumberoftestingphasesduringwhichadvantages,disadvantagesand

difficultieswillbeidentified,includingpotentialworst-casescenarios.

• The experiments in testing phase 2 have beenmodified based on feedback from

testingphase1.

• Theacademicanalysiswillfocusontheimpactofreviewsonrefereeingandonthe

game itself, including the ‘flow’ of the game and the reactions, emotions and the

behaviourofplayers,coaches,spectatorsandotherstakeholders.

Therestrictionsandprinciplesof theexperimentshouldbeproactivelyandeffectively

communicatedtoallstakeholders(teams,fans,mediaetc.),notablythat:

• theVARsystemisonlytocorrectclearerrorsinmatchchangingsituationsand

seriousmissedincidents.

• adecisionnottopenalise(allowplaytocontinue)canbereviewed

66/67

• onlytherefereecaninitiateareview,andonlytherefereewilldecidewhetherto

makeadecisionbasedoninformationfromtheVARorviewthefootagedirectly

• thereviewprocessismoreeasilyundertakenwhenplayhasalreadystopped

• when play continues and a review becomes necessary, this may lead to complex

situationsiftherefereedoesnothavetimeoropportunitytostopplayina‘neutral

zone/situation’ e.g. a quick counter attack leading to a goal following a penalty

incidentintheotherhalfofthefieldofplay.

• restartdecisionscannotbereviewedanddecisionscannotbereviewed(except

someredcardoffences)ifplayhasrestarted

• althoughyellowcardscannotbereviewed,theycanbeissuedorrescindedfollowing

areviewofapenalty,goal,redcardora‘missed’incident

• referees will be encouraged to keep the time a review takes to a minimum but,

ultimately,theaccuracyofthefinaldecisionismoreimportantthanspeed

ExperienceinJapandemonstratedtheneedforcompetitionorganiserstohavesomeone

active‘online’onsocialmediaduringeachmatchtodealwithissues/decisions/situations

relatingtotheuse(ornon-use)ofVARs

67/67

14. Glossary

AssistantVideoAssistantReferee(AVAR)*–pronouncedA-V-A-R–usuallyacurrent

orformerrefereeappointedtoassisttheVideoAssistantReferee(VAR)especiallyto:

• watchthe‘live’actionwhentheVARisundertakinga‘check’ora‘review’

• keepnotesofincidentsetc.

• communicatetheoutcomeofareviewtothebroadcasters

Attackingpossessionphase(APP)–the‘startingpoint’ofthereviewableperiodofplay

foragoal,penaltyincidentorDOGSOoffence.Itisthestartoftheattackingmovewhich

ledtothegoal,penaltyincidentorDOGSOoffenceand,ifrelevant,howpossessionofthe

ballwasgainedatthestartofthatphaseofplay(butnotarestartwhichbegantheattack)

On-field review (OFR) –when the referee decides to view the replay footage in the

refereereviewarea(RRA)

Refereereviewarea(RRA)–‘visible’locationoutsidethefieldofplaywherethereferee

canviewreplayfootage

Replayoperator(RO)*–personwithtechnicalknowledgewhoassiststheVARinthe

videooperationroom(VOR)

Reviewassistant(RA)*–personwhoassiststherefereeintherefereereviewarea(RRA)

Silentcheck–whentheVARchecksadecision/incidentbuthasnocommunicationwith

thereferee(noclearerroridentified)

Video Assistant Referee (VAR)* – pronounced V-A-R – a current or former referee

appointedtoassisttherefereetocorrectaclearerrorinamatch-changingsituation(orif

aseriousincidentismissed)bycommunicatinginformationfromreplayfootage

Videooperationroom(VOR)–theroom/areawheretheVAR,AVARandROetc.view

thematchandhaveindependentaccessto,andcontrolof,thebroadcaster’svideoreplay

footage.Itmaybein/neartothestadiumorinamorecentrallocation(e.g.matchcentre)

*–theVAR,AVAR,ROandRAmustbeneutralinrespecttocompetingteams

Documents

VIDEO ASSISTANT REFEREES · 2017-09-25 · The International Football Association Board Münstergasse 9 8001 Zurich Switzerland T: +41 (0)44 245 1886 F: +41 (0)44 245 1887 theifab.com