Barcelona submit proposal to reform refereeing and VAR in La Liga – report | OneFootball

Inconsistencies in refereeing decisions have long been a sore point in La Liga, which, in turn, has gravely impacted the prestige of the league.

From controversial handball calls to unclear VAR interventions, clubs and fans alike have grown frustrated with the lack of uniformity and transparency. Now, FC Barcelona has taken a formal step toward change.

Barcelona submit proposal to reform La Liga refereeing

According to Cadena SER, Barcelona have submitted a three-point proposal aimed at reforming how refereeing and VAR operate in the Spanish top flight.

Their goal is to bring greater clarity, fairness, and accountability to decisions that can heavily influence match outcomes.

The first of Barcelona’s proposals calls for the unification of refereeing standards.

The club want VAR referees to follow clearly defined and consistent criteria when judging incidents like penalties, handballs, or red cards.

Quality of the refereeing has been a chronic issue in La Liga (Photo by OSCAR DEL POZO/AFP via Getty Images)

The second point emphasises transparency in the visual review process. Barça argues that on-field referees should be shown specific, pre-approved images rather than just those handpicked by the VAR room.

This move is aimed at avoiding selective footage that may distort the incident and influence decisions unfairly.

Thirdly, the club is asking for clear, objective criteria for VAR interventions. Rather than leaving everything to subjective interpretation, Barcelona believe VAR reviews should only be triggered when certain concrete conditions are met.

This proposal comes in the wake of Real Madrid being invited to participate in refereeing reform discussions by federation president Raphael Lausanne, despite not having an official seat on the committee.

Barcelona saw this as an unfair imbalance and responded by demanding their own role in shaping the future of officiating in Spain.