VAR is set to be handed more power to intervene in matches
VAR is set to become more prominent than ever at next year’s World Cup, following a meeting of the world’s football law makers.
The International FA Board’s Football and Technical Advisory Panels (IFAB) — a group made up of former players, coaches and referees — met last week and discussed how they could make significant changes to improve the fluency of matches at next summer’s World Cup in North America.
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One of the key issues raised centred around VAR intervention on yellow cards.
Over the past two Premier League seasons, 17 players have been sent off for incorrectly called second yellow card offences.
These mistakes were unable to be overturned due to limitations in the power of video officials.
According to current rules, VAR can only intervene for “key match incidents”; goals, penalties and straight red cards.
According to The Sun, plans are now in place for this to change.
They report football chiefs agreed VAR “should have the possibility to intervene when an incorrect second yellow card has been given.”
A formal motion to change the law will be filed at a second meeting in January, which can then be fully agreed and ratified at at February’s Annual General Meeting in Cardiff, before eventually coming into effect from the start of July 2026.
It is also understood, that with next Summer’s World Cup in mind, FIFA will attempt to bring the new VAR rule into effect a month earlier, when the tournament kicks off on June 11th.
This goal will be aimed by the fact that FIFA controls four of the eight votes within the International FA Board’s Football and Technical Advisory Panel.
Per the Guardian, alongside changes to VAR, officials also discussed other methods of speeding up the game.
A growing issue over the past few months has been the increased trend of long throw-ins.
Teams typically set up to defend longer throws in the same way they would for a set-piece, causing significant delays in play.
Just as keepers can be penalised for taking too long to take goals kicks, football chiefs are considering setting a time limit on throw-ins.
It remains to be seen if this change is taken further at the next meeting of IFAB in January.
