IFAB proposes more powers for VAR, fewer stoppages | OneFootball

In a statement released after the meeting held in London on Tuesday, the entity responsible for football laws presented proposals aimed at making matches more fluid, reducing interruption periods, and expanding the situations that VAR can analyze.

“The intervention of VAR should remain limited to the four factual game-changing situations (goals, penalties, direct red cards, and mistaken identity errors), but with three specific extensions that should not slow down the flow of the game,” justified the IFAB.

In this regard, the regulators propose that VARs can review red cards resulting from factual errors in the issuance of yellow cards, as well as in cases where the wrong team is penalized for an infraction resulting in red or yellow cards.

“The annual working meeting also proposes allowing VARs to review corner kicks clearly awarded incorrectly, provided it can be done immediately and without delaying the restart of the match,” detailed the IFAB.

These measures may be approved at the next general assembly, scheduled for February 28, in Wales.

In terms of interruptions, and following positive reactions to the limitation of goalkeepers holding the ball for more than eight seconds—with a countdown by referees—the IFAB proposes extending this rule to throw-ins and goal kicks.

It is also proposed that players who leave the field to be assisted remain off the pitch for a fixed period after the restart, with the duration of this interval yet to be defined.

“The meeting also agreed to impose a 10-second limit for players to leave the field after being substituted,” continued the IFAB, also giving its approval to the continuation of tests with semi-automatic offside technology—the Wenger law, when the attacker's body completely surpasses that of the second-last defender and not just a part—and the video assistant, used in the U-17 World Cup, which Portugal won, allowing coaches to request the review of specific incidents when full VAR means are not available.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.