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

Contents1. Introduction 4

2. SummaryofVARprotocol 5

3. Reviewabledecisions 9

4. Scopeoftheexperiment 10

5. Reviewprocess 115.1 General 115.2 Reviewtimelines 195.3 Footageusedforreviews 235.4 LocationandroleoftheVideoAssistantReferee(VAR)24

6. CommunicationbetweenRefereeandVAR266.1 General 26 6.2 Checks 27 6.3 Reviewcommunicationsteps 28 6.4 Restartingplayafterareview 296.5 AddedTime 29 6.6 Bestpractice-communication 29

7. Experimenttimelines 32

8. Protocolclarifications 348.1 Advantage 348.2 Balloutofplay 348.3 Disciplinaryaction–rescindingcards 348.4 Disciplinaryaction–yellowcards 348.5 Goalscoredafterapossiblepenaltyattheotherendof

thefieldofplay 358.6 Goalscoredbefore/during/afterawhistle 358.7 Goalscoredfromanindirectfreekick 378.8 MisapplicationofLaw 368.9 Multiplereview 368.10 Neutralzone 36

3/67

8.11 PenaltyKicksandKicksfromthePenaltyMark(KFPM) 368.12 Restartdecisioncannotbechangedafterplayrestarted 378.13 Clearmistakeidentifiedafterhalftime/fulltimewhistle378.14 Check’forredcardidentifiesa‘missed’yellowcard378.15 Noconsultationbeforedecidingredoryellowcard388.16 Offencebyasubstituteorteamofficial 388.17 Missedpenaltykickbutoffsideinthebuild-up 388.18 Timeallowanceforareview 38

9. Refereeeducation 389.1 General 389.2 WhocanbeaVideoAssistantReferee? 399.3 Educationprogrammes 399.4 Trainingtopics 439.5 Trainingmaterial 479.6RecommendationsfromFIFAClubWorldCup 48

10. Analysingthedata 5010.1General 5010.2Datacollection 5110.3Dataanalysis 5110.4Education 51

11. Technologyandorganisation 5211.1Technology 5211.2Organisationalmatters 59

12. Matchdayorganisation 6212.1 Videoreviewmatchtimeline 6212.2 Videooperationroom(VOR)setupchecklist 6212.3 Teamlists(gamenotices) 6312.4 VARpre-matchbestpractice 6312.5 VARin-matchbestpractice 64

13. PRandcommunication 6514. Glossary 67

4/67

1. Introduction

The130thAnnualGeneralMeeting(AGM)ofTheInternationalFootballAssociationBoard(TheIFAB)inCardiffon5March2016approvedatwo-yearperiodof ‘liveexperimentswithvideoassistanceforclearerrorsinmatch-changingsituations’involvinga(ormore)Video Assistant Referee (VAR – pronounced V-A-R), who will be a match official, todetermineif‘theimplementationofVARsimprovesthegame’.TheaimoftheexperimentisNOTtoachieve100%accuracyforalldecisionsasthereisnodesire todestroy theessential flowandemotionsof footballwhichresult fromthegame’s almost non-stop action and the general absence of lengthy stoppages. Thephilosophyis:

‘minimuminterference–maximumbenefit’Toensurethatthereferee(nottheVAR)isthekeymatchofficial,therefereewillALWAYSmakeadecision(excepta‘missed’usually‘offtheball’incident),includingthedecisionthatnooffencehasoccurred.Thereferee’sdecisioncanONLYBECHANGEDifthevideoreviewshowsaCLEARERRORi.e.not‘wasthedecisioncorrect?’but:

‘wasthedecisionclearlywrong?’

NationalFAsandcompetitionsareonlypermitted to takepart inexperiments (oruseVARs)withthepermissionofTheIFAB.PermissionwillonlybegrantedwhereTheIFABprotocols will be used in full and The IFAB’s referee-VAR education and technicalrequirementshavebeenfulfilled:

‘oneprotocol–usedbyall’

5/67

2. SummaryofVARprotocol

ReviewabledecisionsMatchofficialsmakehundredsofdecisionsineverymatch, includingdecisionsthatanoffencehasnotoccurred.Itwouldbeimpossible,withoutcompletelychangingfootball,torevieweverydecision.Thus,theexperimentlimitstheuseofVARstofourcategoriesofmatch-changingdecisions/incidents:• Goals• Penalty/nopenaltydecisions • Directredcards(not2ndyellowcards)• MistakenidentityIn all these situations, the VAR is only used after the referee has made a decision(includingallowingplaytocontinue),orifaseriousincidentis‘missed’i.e.notseenbythematchofficials.PrinciplesTherearetwelveprincipleswhicharethefoundationoftheVARexperiment:1. Videotechnologywillonlybeusedtocorrectclearerrorsandformissedserious

incidentsindefinedmatch-changingdecisions:goal,penalty/nopenalty,directredcardandmistakenidentity(e.g.therefereecautions/sendsoffthewrongplayer).

2. Thefinaldecisionwillalwaysbetakenbythereferee.3. VideoAssistantReferees(VARs)arematchofficials-anyinformationtheVARs

providetotherefereewillbetreatedbytherefereeinthesamewayasinformationreceivedfromanassistantreferee,additionalassistantrefereeorthefourthofficial.

4. TherefereemustalwaysmakeadecisionregardlessoftheexistenceofVARsi.e.therefereeisnotpermittedtogive‘nodecision’andreferthesituationtotheVAR.Iftherefereedecidesnottostopplayforanallegedoffence,thedecision(toallowplayto continue) can be reviewed. On rare occasions, when it is unclear whether apenalisedcautionable(YC)offenceisasending-off(RC),orwhoshouldreceivethesanction,therefereemayconsulttheVAR.

5. Theoriginaldecisiongivenbytherefereewillnotbechangedunless thevideoreviewclearlyshowsthatthedecisionwasclearlywrong.

6. Onlytherefereecaninitiateareview;theVAR(andtheothermatchofficials)canonlyrecommendareviewtothereferee.

7. Whateverthereviewprocess,thereisnotimepressuretoreviewthedecisionquicklyasaccuracyismoreimportantthanspeed.

8. The players and team officials must not surround the referee or attempt toinfluenceifadecisionisreviewed,thereviewprocessorthefinaldecision.Aplayerwhousesthe‘reviewsignal’willbecautioned(YC).

6/67

9. Therefereeshould,asfaraspossible,remain‘visible’duringthereviewprocesstoensuretransparency.

10. Ifplaycontinuesafteranincidentwhichisthenreviewed,anydisciplinaryactiontaken/requiredduringthepost-incidentperiodisnotcancelled,eveniftheoriginaldecision is changed (except a caution/send-off for stopping a promising attack orDOGSO).

11. Thereisamaximumperiodbeforeandafteranincidentthatcanbereviewed.12. TheVARprotocol,asfaraspossible,conformstotheprinciplesandphilosophyof

theLawsoftheGame.

ReviewprocessTheVARwillwatchthegameonTVscreensinthevideooperationroom(VOR)whichmay be in/near to the stadium or in amore central location (e.g.match centre). Forintegrity/transparency/credibility,theVAR,assistedbyareplayoperator(RO),willhaveindependentaccessto,andreplaycontrolof,allbroadcast‘feeds’soanyreviewusesthesamefootageasthatwhichmaybeseenontelevision.TheintegrityoftheVARsystemwould be undermined if the broadcaster could show footage not available to theVAR/refereewhichcontradictstheVAR/refereedecision.TheVARwillautomatically‘check’everysituation/decisiontoseeifapotentialclearerrorhasbeenmade inamatch-changingsituationor ifaserious incident/offencehasbeenmissed;thereisthusnoneedforcoachesorplayerstorequestareviewas,ifsomethinghasbeenmissed,itwillbeseenbytheVAR.Ifnoreviewisneededthencommunicationwiththerefereeisnotnecessary–thisisa‘silentcheck’.Ifa‘check’indicatesthatanincidentshouldbereviewed,therefereeshouldbeinformedimmediately.Inaddition,iftherefereesuspectsthatamajorerrormayhaveoccurred,orsomethingserioushasbeenmissed,areviewcanberequested.Only therefereecan initiateareview–othermatchofficials (especially theVAR)mayrecommendareviewbutonlytherefereewilldecidewhetherornottohaveareviewandtheoutcomeofthatreview.Therefereemaydecidethatthematchofficialshaveclearlyseentheincidentandthereforenoreviewisneeded.Iftherefereewantsareviewwhenplayhasnotstopped,playshouldbestoppedassoonasitisina‘neutral’zone/situationi.e.whenneitherteamhasagoodattackingpossibility.TherefereemustclearlyindicatethatthereviewprocesshasbeeninitiatedbyvisuallyshowingtheoutlineofaTVscreen;adecisioncannotbechangedunlessthereviewsignalhasbeenshown.Therestartofplaymustbedelayeduntiltheendofthereview;refereesmustpreventthe‘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’ adecision.AnOFRshouldnotbeneededfor factualdecisionssuchasthepositionofanoffenceorplayer(e.g.offside),pointofcontactonthebodyforhandballorafoul,balloutofplayetc.Therefereecanwatchfootageinnormalspeed&/orinslowmotionbut,ingeneral,slowmotion replays should only be used for ‘point of contact’ for physical offences andhandball;normalspeedshouldbeusedforthe‘intensity’ofanoffenceortodecideifahandballwas ‘deliberate’. Theothermatchofficialswill not review the footageunlessaskedtodosobythereferee.Forredcardoffences(exceptDOGSO),onlytheincidentisreviewed.Forgoals,penaltyincidentsandDOGSOoffences,therefereecanreviewtheplayasfarbackasthestartoftheattackingmovewhichledtotheincidentand,ifrelevant,howpossessionoftheballwasgainedatthestartofthatphaseofplay.TheLawsoftheGamedonotallowrestartdecisions(cornerkicks,throw-insetc.)tobechangedonceplayhasrestarted,sotheycannotbereviewed.Attheendofthereviewprocess,therefereewillmakethefinaldecisionandwillclearlyindicatetheoutcomeofthereview,take/change/rescindanydisciplinaryaction(whereappropriate)andensurethecorrectrestartofthegame.Whilst the review process should be completed as efficiently/quickly as possible,accuracyismoreimportantthanspeed.Playersandteamofficialsmustnotattempttoinfluenceorinterferewiththereviewprocess.AplayerwhoshowstheTVsignwillbecautioned(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

RefereeeducationConsiderabletimeandresourceswillbeneededtoeducaterefereesandVARstousetheVAR system effectively, especially when under pressure in key or complex match-changing situations. This education will be of fundamental importance to the VARexperiment.Theeducationwillaimtodevelopanefficientreviewprocessto:• achieveahighlevelofaccuracyindeterminingwhetheradecision/incidentwillbe

reviewedandinthe‘final’(post-review)decision• minimisethetimetakenforthereview,withoutsacrificingaccuracy AnalysingthedataThe IFAB has appointed KU Leuven (Belgium), a university with considerablereferee/football experience, to gather and analyse the experiment data. However thedevelopedresearchscopeandtheresultsoftheanalysiswillbepeerreviewedbytwoadditionaluniversitiesbeforetheyarepresentedtoTheIFAB.Decisiontime-lineTheIFABhopestomakeadecisionaboutVARsin2018,orin2019atthelatest.

9/67

3. Reviewabledecisions

Matchofficialsmakehundredsofdecisionsineverymatch, includingdecisionsthatanoffencehasnotoccurred.Itwouldbeimpossible,withoutcompletelychangingfootball,torevieweverydecision.BasedontheinitialworkandrecommendationsbyKNVBandfeedback fromstakeholdersandThe IFAB’sAdvisoryPanels,The IFABAGMapprovedthreemaincategoriesof‘game-changing’decisionaswellasone‘administrative’astheonlydecisions1tobeincludedintheVARexperiments.Thus,theexperimentlimitstheuseofVARsto4categoriesofdecision/incident:

a.Goals• offside:positionandoffence• offencebytheattackingteaminthebuild-uptothegoal• balloutofplaypriortothegoal

b.Penaltydecisions• penaltykickincorrectlyawarded• penaltykickoffencenotpenalised• freekickawardedtotheattackingteamandthereisdoubtwhetheritoccurredinside

oroutsidethepenaltyarea• offencebytheattackingteaminthebuild-uptothepenaltyincident• balloutofplaypriortothepenaltyincident

c.RedcardincidentsReviewsarelimitedto‘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 forstoppingapromisingattack

d.Mistakenidentity• Iftherefereecautionsorsendsoffthewrongplayer(includingfromthewrongteam),

or is unsurewhichplayer to sanction; theVARwill assist the referee, proactivelywherepossible,sothecorrectplayercanbedisciplined.

TheVARcanbeusedinallthesesituationsiftherefereegivesadecision,allowsplaytocontinueorifaseriousincidentis‘missed’i.e.notseenbythematchofficials.TherefereewillALWAYSmakeadecision(excepta‘missed’incident)whichwillONLYBECHANGEDifthereviewshowsaCLEARERRORi.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.Oneaimofthetwo-yearexperimentalperiodistodeterminewhetherthe‘lines’areinthecorrectplace.Thefollowingexplainswhycertaindecisions/processeshavebeenexcluded:

• Whyarecoachesnotallowedtorequestareview?Inprinciple,thereisnoneedforacoachtorequestareviewbecausetheVARsystemisfor‘clearerrors’anditishighlyunlikelythatacoachwouldseeaclearerrorthathadnotbeendetectedbytheVAR.

In addition, during the consultations, coaches andplayers felt strongly that coachreviews were not desirable as they would probably be used mainly for (oftenunsporting)tacticalreasons.

• Ifa(direct)redcardisamatch-changingsituation,whycana2ndyellowcard(YC)notbereviewed?Ifa2ndYCcouldbereviewedtherewouldbeastrongargumentforthe1stYCtobereviewed.Thiswould thenrequireeveryYC tobereviewedwhichwould logicallymeanthateverypotentialYCincidentwouldbehavetobereviewed,includingwhenareferee,possiblywrongly,doesnotissueaYC–thiswouldresultinfartoomanyinterruptions to thegame(e.g. the2016EUROFinalhad tenYCsandanumberofotherpossibleYCsituations).

• Whyare re-startdecisionsnot reviewede.g. awronglyawardedcornerkickfromwhichagoalisscored?TheLawsoftheGamestatethattherefereecannotchangeadecisiononceplayhasrestarted.Inaddition,thesituationabovewouldrequireeveryrestartdecisiontobereviewedjustincaseagoalresultedfromthenextphaseofplay–thiswouldresultinfartoomanyinterruptionstothegame.

11/67

5. Reviewprocess

5.1 General(seealso:http://quality.fifa.com/en/var)ToensurethattheVARdoesnotimpactonthereferee’sgeneraldecision-makingandisonlyusedforincidents/decisionsdefinedintheprotocol,therefereeshould:

• FORGETabouttheVARBEFOREgivingadecision• REMEMBERtheVARAFTERgivingadecision

Thismeansthatthereferee(andothermatchofficials)shouldmakedecisionsasiftherewasnoVAR–theyshouldnot‘takerisks’thinkingthattheVARcould‘save’them.However,onceadecisionhasbeengivenina ‘reviewable’situation,therefereemustrememberthattheVARmayneedtimetocheckthedecision/incident,sotherefereeshouldbereadytodelaytherestart toallowtheVARtocompletethisprocess(VARsshouldproactivelyalertrefereestosituationswhereareviewmayberequired).TheVARwillwatchthegameonTVscreensinthevideooperationroom(VOR)whichmay be in/near to the stadium or in amore central location (e.g.match centre). Forintegrity/transparency/credibility, the VAR, assisted by (a) neutral replay operator(s)(RO),musthaveindependentaccessto,andreplaycontrolof,allbroadcastfeedssoanyreviewusesthesamefootageasthatwhichmaybeseenontelevision.Thereviewprocessshouldbecontrolledbythecompetition/matchorganiser.TheintegrityoftheVARsystemwould be undermined if the broadcaster could show footage not available to theVAR/refereewhichcontradictstheVAR/refereedecision.TheVAR,willautomatically‘check’ifapotentialclearerrorhasbeenmadeinamatch-changingsituationorifaseriousincident/offencehasbeenmissed.Ifnoreviewisneeded,thencommunicationwiththerefereeisnotnecessary–thisisa‘silentcheck’.Ifa‘check’indicatesthatanincidentshouldbereviewed,therefereeshouldbeinformedimmediately.Inaddition,iftherefereesuspectsthatamajorerrormayhaveoccurred,orsomethingserioushasbeenmissed,areviewcanberequested.Onlytherefereeispermittedtoinitiateareview–othermatchofficials(especiallytheVAR)mayrecommendareviewbutonlytherefereewilldecidewhethertohaveareviewand the outcomeof that review.The refereemaydecide that thematch officials haveclearlyseentheincidentandthereforenoreviewisneeded.Iftherefereewantsareviewwhenplayhasnotstopped,therefereewillstopplayassoonas it is ina ‘neutralzone/situation’ (area/situation) i.e.whenneither teamhasagoodattackingpossibility.

12/67

IftherefereeneedstodelaytherestartofthematchwhilsttheVARiscompletinga‘check’(i.e.beforemovingtothereviewstage)therefereemustmakethereasonforthedelayclearbypointingtotheearpiece.TherefereemustclearlyindicatethatthereviewprocesshasbeeninitiatedbyvisuallyshowingtheoutlineofaTVscreen;adecisioncannotbechangedunlessthereviewsignalhasbeenshown.Therestartofplaymustbedelayeduntiltheendofthereview;refereesmustpreventthe‘offending’team/playerrestartingplaytopreventareview.Oncethereviewisinitiated,therefereehastheoptionto:• makeadecisionbasedonlyontheinformationreceivedfromtheVARor• reviewthefootagedirectlybeforemakingafinaldecision(on-fieldreview–OFR)AnOFRshouldnotbeneededforfactualdecisionssuchasthepositionofanoffenceorplayer(s)(e.g.offside),pointofcontactonthebodyforhandballorafoul,balloutofplay,goal/nogoal.OFRswillbemainlyfor‘subjective’decisionsortoassistmatchcontrolorto‘sell’adecision.

Reviewsteps(summary):• Step1-therefereeinformstheVAR,ortheVARrecommendstothereferee(usually

basedona‘check’),thatadecision/incidentshouldbereviewed• Step22-thevideofootageisreviewedbytheVARwhoadvisestherefereewhatthe

videoshows• Step3-therefereeacceptstheinformationfromtheVARsandtakestheappropriate

action/decisionordecidestoreviewthevideofootageintheRRAbeforetakingtheappropriateaction/decision

Technological devices (operated by a review assistant (RA) whomust be ‘neutral’ inrespect to the competing teams) will be available in the referee review area (RRA)(usuallynearthefourthofficialand/orpotentiallyontheothersideofthefieldofplayand/orbehindthegoallines)whichtherefereecanusetoreviewfootagedirectly.TheVARwillrecommendthebestcameraangle(s)andreplayspeed(s)buttherefereecanrequestdifferentspeed(s)andangle(s)e.g.camerafrombehindthegoalforanoffsideaffectingthegoalkeeper’slineofvision.Tofacilitatethisprocess,wherepossible,cameraanglenames/titlesshouldbeagreedpre-matchandthesenames/titlesshouldbevisibleonthescreensintheVORandRRA.

2Therewillbeoccasionswhere,toreducetime,Step2maybeomitted;VARsshouldbereadytorecommendanOFRtothereferee.

13/67

Experiencehasshownthatthereshouldonlybefootagefromonecameraangleonthescreen in the RRA as it is not easy for the referee to focus on, and quickly assess, asituation/decision when there is a ‘split’ screen with 4 different camera angles. Ifnecessary,therefereecanaskforadditional/differentanglesTherefereecanwatchfootageinnormalspeed&/orinslowmotionbut,ingeneral,slowmotion replays should only be used for ‘point of contact’ for physical offences andhandball;normalspeedshouldbeusedforthe‘intensity’ofanoffenceortodecideifahandballwas ‘deliberate’. Theothermatchofficialswill not review the footageunlessaskedtodosobythereferee.Forredcardoffences(exceptDOGSO),onlytheincidentisreviewed.Forgoals,penaltyincidentsandDOGSOoffences,therefereecanreviewtheplayasfarbackasthestartoftheattackingmovewhichledtotheincidentand,ifrelevant,howpossessionoftheballwasgainedatthestartofthatphaseofplay.TheLawsoftheGamedonotallowrestartdecisions(cornerkicks,throw-insetc.)tobechangedonceplayhasrestarted,sotheycannotbereviewed.OthermatchofficialswillnotreviewthefootageintheRRAastherefereeshouldhavetheknowledgeandskillstomakethedecision,includingforoffsideas‘position’isfactualandreferees are already involved in ‘offence’ decisions. However, the referee may, inexceptionalcircumstances,askamatchofficialtoassistwithreviewingthefootage(e.g.ifthat match official was involved in the incident being reviewed). In general, theresponsibility of the other match officials will be to monitor/manage theplayers/technicalareasetc.Players and team officialsmust not attempt to influence or interferewith the reviewprocess.AplayerwhoshowstheTVsignwillbecautioned(YC);anyoneenteringtheRRAwillbecautioned(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 thereview,take/change/rescindanydisciplinaryaction(whereappropriate)andensurethecorrectrestartof thegame. If therefereechangesorrescinds/cancelsanydisciplinaryaction it is very important that this is made very clear to everyone (other matchofficials,players,coaches,spectatorsetc.).Thisisespeciallyimportantwhereaplayerhasacaution(YC)rescinded/cancelledandthenreceivesacaution(YC)laterinthegameandisnotsentoffasthisriskscausingconfusion,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’,whichisautomaticallyundertakenby the VAR, and a ‘review’which is undertaken initially by the VAR butmay also beundertakenbytherefereeintheRRA.TheVARcarefullywatchesfootageofthematchandifadecision/incidentoccurswhichpotentiallyfallsintooneofthe4reviewcategories,theVARwill‘check’theaccuracyofthedecisionand/orwhetheranythingsignificanthasbeenmissedbythereferee(orothermatchofficials).Thisautomatic‘check’processisimportantbecause:• itprevents thereferee frombeingdistracted/concernedthatsomething important

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

automatically‘checked’bytheVARTheVAR‘check’mustalwaysbebasedonthefundamentalphilosophythatreviewsareonlyfor‘clearerrors’inmatch-changingsituationsorserious‘missedincidents/offences’(+mistakenidentity).TheabilityoftheVARtoidentifyapotential ‘clearerror’willbefundamentaltotheaccuracyandspeedofthereviewprocess.Sometimes,itmaybebeneficialfortheVARtoinformtherefereethata‘check’isbeingundertakenofamatch-changingincident.Whenthereisthepossibilitythata‘check’maybecomea‘review’theVARmustadvisetherefereetodelaytherestartofthegame.If a VAR ‘check’ indicates that an incident should be subject to a ‘review’, the refereeshouldbeinformedimmediately.IfnoreviewisneededthentheVARdoesnotnormallyneedtocommunicatewiththereferee–thisisknownasa‘silentcheck’.However,theremaybeoccasionswhere theVAR judges that the referee (orothermatchofficial)willbenefitfrom,orappreciate,confirmationofthecorrectnessofadecision,orthatnothingserious‘offtheball’hasoccurred/beenmissed.

15/67

5.1.2 Whocaninitiateareview?TheVARwatchesthematchandwheneveradecision/incidentoccurswhichfallsintooneofthereviewcategoriesanditseemslikelythataclearerrorhasbeenmade(orsomethingserious has been missed), the referee will be informed. In addition, the referee maysuspectthatsomethingsignificanthasbeen‘missed’oraclearerrormayhaveoccurred.Ineithercircumstancetherefereecandecidethat:• thematchofficialshaveclearlyseentheincidentandnoreviewisneeded,or• adecisioncanbetakenbasedsolelyontheinformationfromtheVAR,or• therefereewishestoundertakeanOFRbeforemakingafinaldecisionAllon-fieldmatchofficialsandtheVAR,AVAR,RO(andideallytheRA),areconnectedviaa communication headset system during the entire match. Assistant referees, fourthofficials,AARsandVARscanrecommendtotherefereethatadecision/incidentshouldbereviewedbutonlytherefereecaninitiateareview.5.1.3 Whencanareviewtakeplace?Areviewcantakeplacewhenplayisstopped,providedthattherefereehasnotpermittedplaytorestart.Wheneverthereisthepossibilityofareview,therestartofplaymustbedelayed – thiswill sometimes require theVAR tobequick towarn the refereeof thepossibilityofareviewsotherefereecandelaytherestart. Inparticular,refereesmustpreventan‘offending’team/playerattemptingtorestartplaytopreventareview.IftherefereeneedstodelaytherestartofthematchwhilsttheVARiscompletinga‘check’(i.e.beforemovingtothereviewstage)therefereeshouldmakethereasonforthedelayclearbypointing to theearpiece.Theuseof the ‘pointing to theearpiece’ signal is anofficialsignalwhichshouldbeusedinallcaseswheretherefereedelaystherestartofplaytocommunicatewiththeVAR.

In circumstanceswhere the game continues, play canbe stoppedby the referee for areview but only when it is in a ‘neutral zone/situation’ i.e. neither team has a goodpromisingattack;ifateamisinagoodattackingsituationoragoal-scoringposition,playcontinuesuntilitisinaneutralzone/situation.5.1.4 Howisareviewcommunicatedbythereferee?Whenareview is requestedby therefereedirectly,or following information fromtheVAR, the referee will clearly indicate that the review process has been initiated byoutliningtheshapeofaTVscreenwithbothhands.

If the referee decides to review the footage in the RRA, this should also be clearlycommunicated,particularlytotheplayers.

16/67

5.1.5 Wheredoesthereviewtakeplace?Duringtheinitialstageofthereview,whentheVARisstudyingthefootage,therefereeshould(asfaraspossible)takeapositionawayfromtheplayerswhichallowsmost/alloftheplayerstobekeptinview.

Whenchoosingthebestposition,therefereeshouldconsiderthepotentialbenefitof:• beingclosetoamatchofficialwhomayalsohaveviewedtheincident• beingclosetothelikelylocationofthepost-reviewrestart• movingtowardstheRRAinpreparationtoreviewthefootagedirectlyandtoreduce

thetimetakenbythereview

If the referee decides to review the footage directly (OFR), the referee should goimmediatelytotheRRAwhichmustbea‘privatearea’wherethefootagecanbeviewedandthemonitorisprotectedfromtheweather,theball,thrownitemsetc.TheRRAmustbeclearlymarkedasonlytherefereeandRAarepermittedtoenterthisarea.

Forreasonsoftransparencyandintegrity(i.e.todemonstratethatnoonehasinfluencedthereviewprocess)theRRAmustbevisible(notaroomintheplayers’tunneletc.)and,asfaraspossible,therefereeshouldremainvisiblethroughouttheprocess.Ideally,thereshouldbenomedia/broadcastmicrophonesorcameraspositionedin/neartotheRRA.NooneisallowedtoentertheRRAatanystage-anyplayerwhodoessowillbecautioned(YC)andanyteamofficialdismissedfromthetechnicalarea.Thehomeclub/competitionorganisers must provide sufficient stewarding/security to prevent players/teamofficials/cameramenetc.enteringtheRRA.5.1.6 Whotakespartinthereview?OnlytheVARandrefereeviewreplayfootageunless,inexceptionalcircumstances,therefereedecidesthatoneoftheothermatchofficialsshouldalsoviewthefootage(e.g.anofficialdirectlyinvolvedinreportinganincidenttothereferee).Theremustbeareviewassistant(RA)(notthefourthofficial)intheRRAtohelptherefereeduringanOFR;theRA’smainresponsibilitywillbe to loadandplay footagerecommendedbytheVARorrequestedbythereferee.

5.1.7 Whatdotheothermatchofficialsdoduringthereview?During the review, the other match official must monitor/manage the players andtechnicalareasaccordingtothereferee’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 thelocationoftherestart,especiallyiftherefereestoppedplayforareview

• all on-field match officials should remain silent (as far as possible) to avoidinterrupting/distractingthereferee-VARcommunication

5.1.8 Whatdotheplayersandofficialsdoduringthereview?Theplayersandteamofficialsmustbehaveresponsiblyandmustnot:• attempttoinfluencethereferee’sdecisiontoreviewanincidentortoviewfootage

directly• interferewiththereferee’smovementto/fromtheRRAorto/fromthepositionofthe

restartafterthefinaldecision• enterorapproachtheRRA–anyplayerwhoenterstheRRAmustbecautioned(YC)

andanyteamofficialwhoenterstheRRAmustbedismissedfromthetechnicalarea• contestthereferee’sfinaldecision5.1.9 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,pointofcontact(foul/handball),balloutofplayorgoal/nogoalcanusuallybemadebasedonlyontheinformationfromtheVARi.e.noon-fieldreview(OFR)needed

• OFRsshouldbeusedmainlyfor‘subjective’decisionsunlesstherefereedecidesthatanOFRwillassistmatchcontrol/playermanagementorwillhelp‘sell’adecision

• therefereeandVARshouldbealert to thepossibilityofanoffendingteam/playertryingtorestartthegamequicklytopreventareview.Iftherefereethinksareviewmightbenecessary,therestartmustbedelayedtogivetimefortheVARto‘check’thedecision/incident. Equally,VARs shouldbeproactive and advise the referee ifthereisarealpossibilityofareviewsothattherestartcanbeprevented

• only the refereeandRAareallowed in theRRA(inexceptional circumstances therefereemayinviteanothermatchofficialintotheRRA)

• therefereecanwatchfootageinnormalspeed&/orinslowmotionbut,ingeneral,slowmotionreplaysshouldonlybeusedfor‘pointofcontact’forphysicaloffencesandhandball;andnormalspeedforthe‘intensity’ofanoffenceortodetermineifahandballwas‘deliberate’

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

18/67

5.1.10 Howistheoutcomeofthereviewcommunicated?Therefereewillvisuallyindicatewhetherornottheoriginaldecisionhasbeenconfirmedand then clearly indicate how thematchwill restart. The referee should consider thebenefit of communicating the finaldecisionverbally to the teamcaptains.The refereemust,asappropriate,take,changeorrescindanydisciplinaryaction.

Competitionswillneedtodecidewhatinformationiscommunicatedinthestadium(andtothemedia)beforethematch,duringareviewandonceafinaldecisionismade.Itisverystronglyrecommendedthat,asaminimum,amessageappearsonthestadiumscreenannouncing that a review is taking place. This may also involvemessages/images orpotentially footage of the VOR appearing on screens in the stadium. Very carefulconsiderationshouldbegiventowhether,withinexistingcompetitionprotocols,replayfootage is shown as this may cause negative reactions, security issues etc. especiallywheretheincident/decisionisnotclear-cut.Inprinciple,replaysofincidentswhichareorhavebeenreviewedshouldnotbeshownonscreensinthestadium.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;thiswillbefromthetimethereviewwassignalleduntilplayrestarts.

Itisrecommendedthatoneofthematchofficialsotherthantherefereeand4thofficial(whowillmonitor/managethetechnicalareasandRRA),isassignedtheresponsibilityofrecordingthetimetakenforeachreview;thiswillusuallybeAR2.5.1.13 Whatdisciplinaryactioncantherefereetake/changebasedonareview?Therefereemusttakethecorrectdisciplinaryactionagainstplayersandteamofficialsforanyoffencesidentified/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),foranyoffencenotoriginallyseenbutwhichisclearlyidentifiedbythereview

Examplesofsituationswhere,asaresultofthereviewprocess,therefereemustapplythecorrectdisciplinarysanctionsinclude:• 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/cancelsanydisciplinaryactionitisveryimportantthatthisismadeverycleartoeveryone(othermatchofficials,players,coaches,spectatorsetc.).Thisisespeciallyimportantwhereaplayerhasacaution(YC)rescinded/cancelledandthenreceivesacaution(YC)laterinthegameandisnotsentoffasthisriskscausingconfusion,criticising,andcontroversy.5.1.14 Decisions incorrectly reviewed/technology malfunction/disciplinary

actionCompetitionsmuststateclearlyintheircompetitionrulesthatamatchisnotinvalidatedbecauseof:• malfunction(s)oftheVARtechnology(asforgoallinetechnology)• wrongdecision(s)involvingtheVAR(astheVARisamatchofficial)• decision(s)nottoreviewanincident/decision• review(s)ofanon-reviewableincident/decisionCompetitions/governingbodiesshouldensuretheirdisciplinaryproceduresaccountfordecisionsrelatingtoacaution(YC)orsending-off(RC)involvingtheVAR.

5.2 ReviewtimelinesItisimportantthattheopportunitytocorrectclearerrorsdoesnotover-intrudeintothematch.Thisisparticularlyimportantwhendefiningtheperiodofplaypriortoandafterareviewableincidenthasoccurred.5.2.1 Whatphase(s)ofplaycanbereviewed?Oneoftheaimsoftheexperimentwillbetoestablishforhowlong‘before’anincidentplaycanbereviewedi.e.isthereapointatwhichthereviewperiodcanstart?Equally,itwillbeimportanttoestablishhowlongafteranincidentadecisioncanbereviewed.

20/67

TheLawsoftheGamedefinethemaximumperiodbeforeandafteranincidentduringwhichadecisioncanbechangedbecausetheLaw5statesthat‘therefereemaynotchangeadecisiononrealisingitisincorrect(…)ifplayhasrestarted(…)’.Thismeansthatarestartdecisioncannotbechangedoncethegamehasbeenrestartede.g.ifacornerkickistakenevenifagoalresultsandTVreplaysshowthatitshouldhavebeenagoalkick,theoriginalgoalkick/cornerkickdecisioncannotbechanged.Thesameistrueforallrestarts:throw-in,freekicketc.If,afterareviewableincident,playstopsandisrestartedthennoreviewispermitted(exceptfordirectsendingoffoffences).

Whilstitmightseem‘unfair’thatagoalresultsfromawronglyawardedcornerkickorattackingthrow-in,ifthecornerkick/throw-indecisioncouldbechangedthenlogicallyagoalthatresultedfromanincorrectgoalkickoradefensivethrow-inwouldalsohavetobechanged.Asitwouldbewrongtowaitforagoaltobescoredbeforecheckingathrow-inorcornerkick(becausethiswouldleadtoagreatdealoffrustration/angerfromtheplayers,teamofficials,fansetc.oftheteamthatscoredthegoal)itwouldbenecessarytoreview every goal kick, corner kick and throw-in decision in case a match-changingsituationresults.

Inaddition,anincorrectlytakenrestart(e.g.ballmovingatafreekick,foulthrow-inetc.)whichultimatelyleadstoagoalorpenaltyincidentcannotbereviewedasthisisnota‘match-changing’decisionanditshouldbedetectedbythematchofficials.WithinthelimitsimposedbytheLawsoftheGame,thisprotocolidentifiesrestrictionsontheperiodbefore/afteran incident/decisionwhichcanbe included inareview.Theserestrictionsmay bemodified after the early testing phase andThe IFABmight give acompetitionpermissiontousemodifiedrestrictions.

5.2.2 Howfarbeforeadecisioncantheplaybereviewed?Theperiodbeforeanincidentwhichmaybeincludedinthereviewwillvaryaccordingtothecategoryoftheincident.5.2.3 Redcard(exceptDOGSO)+mistakenidentity• onlytheincidentisreviewed

5.2.4 Goal,penaltyincidentorDOGSOThereare4potentialstartingpointsforthereview:• whenandhowtheattackingteamlastgainedpossessionoftheball• thestartoftheattackingmovewhichdirectlyendedinthegoal/penaltyincident• whentheballenteredthedefendingteam’shalfofthefieldofplay• amaximumperiodoftimepriortotheincident

Inprinciple,therecouldbeacombinationofsomeoftheabovebutTheIFABexperimentprotocolusesthe‘attackingpossessionphase’conceptwhichcombines2startingpoints.

21/67

‘AttackingPossessionPhase(APP)’Consultationswithfootballstakeholderssuggestthatfootballwouldexpectthatonlythephaseofplayleadinguptoagoal/penaltyincident/DOGSOshouldbereviewedi.e.fromthepointatwhichtheattackingteamlastgainedpossessionoftheballandstartedthephaseofplaythatledtothegoal/penaltyincident.Amajorunderlyingprincipleisthatuntiltheattackingteamgainedpossessionoftheball,theiropponentshadthe‘freedom’tousetheballandthusany‘missed’eventbeforetheylostpossessioncouldhavebeenavoided.Thisconceptissimilartothenormalfootballsituation where a defender has time to clear the ball but instead attempts a pass toanotherdefenderwhichisinterceptedbyanattackerwhothenscores–thedefenderhadpossessionandcouldhavepreventedtheerrorwhichledtothegoal.‘attacking phase possession (APP)’ will require the referee (assisted by the VAR) todetermine:• thepointatwhichtheattackingteamgainedpossessionoftheballandthen• thepointatwhichthephaseofplaythatledtothegoal/penaltyincidentstarted

‘gainingpossession’Theattackingteamwillbeconsideredtohavegainedpossessionwhenthey:• takearestartor• takepossessionoftheballfrom‘openplay’(whenneitherteamhaspossession)or• takepossessionoftheballwhenitis‘lost’bytheopponents(e.g.poorpass,clearance

etc.)or• gainpossessionasaresultofachallengefortheballwithanopponent

Thefollowingarenotconsideredacleargainofpossession:• asave,deflectionorreboundthatdoesnotresultincontroloftheball• aclearancethatdoesnotreachorisnotcontrolledbyateammateWheretheattackingteamgainedpossessionasaresultofanoffenceorinfringementoftheLawsoftheGame,thegoalorpenaltykickunderreviewcanonlybeoverturnediftherefereemadeaclearerrorinfailingtopenalisetheoffence/infringement.Consequently,agoal/penaltykickcanonlybechangediftherefereemadeaclearerrorby failing to penalise a Law 12 offence which resulted in the attacking team takingpossessionoftheball:• in‘openplay’or• whenitis‘lost’bytheopponentsor• asaresultofachallengefortheballwithanopponent

22/67

RestartsarenotreviewedbecauseTheLawsoftheGamedonotpermitarestartdecisiontobechangedonceplayhasrestarted.Incorrectrestartsarenotreviewedbecausetheyarenotmatch-changingsituationsandshouldbedetectedbythematchofficials.TheVARwill assist the referee to establish theAPPbut if theball travelsbeyond thecamera’sviewtherefereeandothermatchofficialswillmakethe‘possession’decision.‘attackingphase’Defining the point atwhich the ‘attacking phase (move)’ startswill be subjective butshouldincludedeciding:• 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’ intheirownhalf)or,if‘keepball’isintheiropponents’half,thepointatwhichaclearforward/attackingphaseofplaystarts

Judging‘attackingpossessionphase’willrequireco-operationbetweentherefereeandVAR,andpotentiallywithARs(andAARs).Thisconceptwillbefurtherdefinedduringtheeducationphaseusingfootageandsimulatedon-fieldsituations.ItwillrequiretheVARandrefereetoadopta‘whatwouldfootballexpect?’approachandapplytheprinciplesandtheirknowledgeandexperiencetodifferentiatebetween‘denyinganobviousgoal-scoringopportunity’and‘stoppingapromisingattack’.APPeffectively‘resets’thestartingpointforthereviewablephaseofplaypriortoagoalorapenaltyincident.5.2.5 Howlongafteradecision/incidentcanplaybestoppedforareview?Theperiodoftimeafteranincidentoccurswhenareviewcanbeinitiatedmustbelimitedtoavoidothersignificanteventstakingplaceandthenbeingoverturned.Ifplayhasstoppedandareviewableincidentmayhaveoccurred,therefereemustnotpermittherestarttobetakenuntiladecisiontoreviewornothasbeenmade.IfplaycontinuesandtherefereesuspectssomethingimportanthasbeenmissedortheVAR recommends a review, the referee must stop play as soon as it is in a ‘neutralzone/situation’i.e.neitherteamisinagoodattackingposition.AsLaw5doesnotallowtherefereetochangeadecisiononceplayhasrestarted,soifplaystops after a potentially reviewable incident/offence and play restarts, no review ispermittedexceptfor‘missed’redcardoffences(exceptDOGSOand2ndYCoffences).

23/67

Fordirectsending-offoffencesandmistakenidentity(wrongplayercautionedorsentoff)there isno time limit for thedisciplinaryactionbut if playhas stoppedand restartedbeforethedisciplinaryactioncanbetaken,therestartfortheoffenceisnotapplied.5.3 FootageusedforreviewsTheefficientselectionofthebestvideofootage(anglesandreplayspeed)willsignificantlyaffect theaccuracy, speedandacceptanceof a review.Whilst the refereehasultimatecontrolofthedecision-makingprocess,theVAR,ROandRAhaveimportantrolestoplay.As part of the pre-match preparation, the referee, VAR, RO and RA should agree thenames/titles of the different camera angles and, where possible, these names/titlesshouldbevisibleonthescreensintheVORandRRA.5.3.1 Whodecideswhatfootageisreviewed?Theinitialselectionofthebestcameraangle(s)andreplayspeed(s)willbeundertakenbytheVARwhowillexplaintotherefereethebasisfortherecommendedfootageandwhatitshows.If the referee decides to view the footage directly, theVARwill recommend themostappropriate angle(s) and speed(s) but the referee may request different/additionalangle(s)orspeed(s).ExperienceduringthetrialmatchesshowedthattheOFRoperatesbestwhentherefereehasthefootagefromonlyonecameraangletoreview.Itisnoteasyforreferees,whohavebeenusingmainlymediumandlongdistance‘sight’,tofocusonaTVscreen,especiallyifthere a several different replay angles being shown at the same time. If the refereerequires, or the VAR recommends, an additional angle then this can be provided butusuallynotasa‘splitscreen’5.3.2 WhooperatestheequipmentfortheVAR?TherewillbeatleastoneROsittingwiththeVAR(dependingonthenumberofavailablecamera feeds) to assist with selection and loading of footage; as VARs becomemoreexperiencedinusingtheequipment,theymaybeabletoself-selectthefootage.Theroleof the ROwill be particularly importantwhen there aremultiple incidents or severalincidentsoccurinquicksuccession.TherelationshipbetweentheVARandtheROisanimportantandcomplexone.WhilsttheROisnotpartofthedecision-makingprocess,theROhasaresponsibilitytohelptheVAR(andultimatelythereferee)makethecorrectdecision.TheROshould‘guide’theVARtothebestanglesand,wheretheRObelievesthattheVARmaybenefitfromlookingat

24/67

another/differentangle(especiallyifitshowssomethingthattheVARappearsnottohaveseen/recognised)theROmustensuretheVARisawareofthisparticularfootage/angle.5.3.3 Whooperatestheequipmentforareviewbythereferee?TherewillbeanRAintheRRAtooperatetheequipmentsotherefereecanconcentrateonviewingthefootageand,whereappropriate,requestspecificangle(s),speed(s)etc.5.3.4 Whatspeedisusedforreviews?Footage canbeviewedby theVARand refereeatnormal speedor in slowmotion. Inprinciple,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)shouldonlybeusedifthemethodologyisaccurateandthecompetition has confirmed that the technology provider or production team meetsminimumspecificationstandards.Itisparticularlyimportantthatthegraphics(especiallyforoffside)areaccurateandtakefullaccountoftherequirementsoftheLawsoftheGame.Thereshouldonlybeoneproviderof thegraphics so that thoseusedby theVARandrefereearethesameasthoseseenbythetelevisionviewers,andtheparticipants.Thisshouldpreventdiscrepanciesthatcouldbringthefinaldecisionintoquestion.5.4 LocationandroleoftheVideoAssistantReferee(VAR)TheVARislocatedintheVORwhichisin,orcloseto,thestadiumorattheTVbroadcastcentre;whatever the location, the VARsmust have independent access to, and replaycontrolof,allbroadcastcamerafeeds;theVARmustalsohavedirectandinstantcontactwiththereferee,RO,AssistantVAR(AVAR)(or2ndVAR)andRA.TheVARisamatchofficial(e.g.likeanadditionalassistantreferee)andwillbeinconstantcontact with the referee using the referee team’s communication system; to avoiddistractingthematchofficials,theVARwilluseapushbuttontoactivatethemicrophone.The prime role of theVAR is to ‘check’ the play throughout the game and inform therefereewhenthere is thepossibilitythatareviewable incidenthasoccurred.TheVARworks under the direction of the referee to ensure a clear error in amatch-changingdecisioniscorrectedoraseriousunseenincidentisdealtwith.

25/67

Forintegrityandtransparency,andtoprovideaneducationanddevelopmentresource,theVORandtheconsultationprocesswillbefilmed(includingsound).Thisfootagewillnotbemadeavailableexceptforeducationofreferees/VARsorifthereisaquestionaboutthetransparency/integrityofaparticularmatch/consultation/review.

ItwillbeimportantforVARstobecomecompetentusingthereplayequipmentsotheycanselectreplayangles/speedsetc.themselveswhichwill:• speedupthereviewprocess• enabletheVARtoundertakeacheckorassistwithareviewsothattheROcan‘tag’

anypotentially reviewable incidentwhich occurswhilst theVAR is undertaking acheckorreview.Suchskillwillpreventtheneedfor2VARs

AssistantVAR(AVAR)–theearlytrialmatcheshaveshowntheneedforasecondpersonintheVORtoassisttheVAR;thiscouldbea2ndVARor,morelikely,anAssistantVAR.TheirrolewouldbetohelptheVARasmuchaspossible,inparticular:• watchingthematchonthescreenwhiletheVARandROareundertakingacheckora

reviewand,ifapotentiallyreviewableincidentoccurs,‘tag/mark’thesituation• keepingarecordofalldisciplinaryactionandallreviewableincidents(andwhether

ornottheywerereviewedandthenatureandoutcomeofthereview)sotheVARcanconcentrateonwatchingthegame

• communicating the outcome of a review to the broadcasters (using the agreedphraseologyetc.)exceptwherethisisaresponsibilityassignedtosomeoneelsebythecompetitionorganiser

TheAVARdoesnotneedthesamelevelofrefereeingexperienceandqualificationsastheVAR.

26/67

6. CommunicationbetweenRefereeandVAR

6.1 GeneralEffectivecommunicationbetweentherefereeandVAR(andotherkeypersonnele.g.ROsand RAs) will be essential and protocols will, as far as possible, ensure high qualitycommunicationthatminimiseserrorsormisunderstandings.Itwill be important to establish communication protocols, language and phrases, andmeansofstartingandendingphasesofinformationexchange.TheIFABwillgiveguidancebut the exact communication protocols should be drawn up by each national footballassociation/competition tobeconsistentwith,andreflect, theprotocols, languageandvocabularyalreadyinuseinthematchofficials’communicationsystems.Moreover,eachcountrywillhaveitsownuniquefootballlanguageandphraseology.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 TheVARwillbeonthesamecommunicationsystemastheothermatchofficialsbutonlytherefereecancommunicatedirectlywiththeVAR;theAVAR,ROandRAshouldalsobeonthesamesystemtofacilitateamoreefficientreviewoffootagebythereferee.The ‘openmic’ communicationsystemwillallow theVAR(andRO) tohearexchangesbetweentheothermatchofficialssothatif,forexample,theARinformstherefereethataplayer is inanoffsidepositionwhenagoal isscoredbuttheARdoesnotknowif thatplayerisinterferingwiththelineofvisionofthegoalkeeper,theVARcanstartto‘check’thesituationinreadinessforapotentialreviewrequestortoinformtherefereeifaclearerrorappearstohaveoccurred.The VAR should use a ‘push-button’ to activate the VAR’smicrophone so discussionsbetweentheVARandtheRO/AVARarenotoverheardby,anddonotdistract,therefereeandmatchofficials.ItisimportantthattheVAR’smiconlyoperateswhenthebuttonispushedandheldsothatitdoesnotremain‘open’oncetheconversation/communicationisoverasthiscanleadtoconfusionand,potentially,anincorrectdecision.

27/67

Inthesamewaythatmatchofficialsalreadyexchangeinformationduringamatch,theVARwillinevitablybecomepartofthatexchange.Thiswillultimatelymakethe‘check’and‘review’processesmoreefficientandprobablyfaster.Whilstnotpartoftheformalreview 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 particularsituations.

AllcommunicationbetweentheVAR,referee,RAandothermatchofficialsmustbeclear,courteous and non-emotional. It is extremely important that the VAR’s style ofcommunication is not over-strong or aggressive. Equally, the referee must not bediscourteous or dictatorial to the VAR. Professional conduct at all times is vital if thecommunicationistobeeffectiveinproducingthecorrectoutcome.6.2 ChecksChecks by the VAR will be an on-going process and may or may not lead to arecommendationtotherefereeforareview.Inprinciple,theVARdoesnotneedtoinformtherefereeeverytimeacheckistakingplace–thisisa‘silent’check.However, if the VAR believes that a check may result in a review, the VAR shouldimmediatelyinformtherefereesothat,ifappropriate,therefereecandelaytherestartofthematch.TheVARshouldcommunicatethefollowinginformationtothereferee:• a‘check’istakingplace• theincident/offencebeingchecked(specificinformationwherepossible)• theplayer(s)andteaminvolved• thelocation/timeoftheincident

Forexample,“checkforpossiblehandballbyBlue8priortogoalbeingscored”IftherefereeneedstodelaytherestartofthematchwhilsttheVARiscompletinga‘check’(i.e.beforemovingtothereviewstage)therefereemustmakethereasonforthedelayclearbypointingtohisearpiece.Oncethecheckhasbeenconcluded,theVARwillcommunicatetheoutcometotherefereewhich will either be that no reviewable offence/incident has been observed or therecommendationthattheincidentshouldbereviewed,e.g.:• ‘Checkshowsthatnooffence/incidenthasoccurred/beenmissed’,or• ‘CheckindicatesaclearhandballoffencebyBlue8–reviewrecommended’

28/67

6.3 ReviewcommunicationstepsThereviewprocesswillrequire3communicationsteps:

Step1-therefereeinformstheVARortheVARrecommendstotherefereethatadecision/incidentshouldbereviewed

Communication between the referee and VAR should quickly establish exactly whichincident(s)/offence(s)isbeingcheckedandmightbereviewed.Therefereemustclearlygivethe‘earpiece’orTVsignalandinformtheplayersthatthegamecannotrestart.Step 2 - the video footage is reviewed by the VAR who advises the referee viaheadsetwhatthevideoshowsCommunication from the VAR to the referee should be confined to facts describingaccuratelywhat the footageshows.Therefereeshould initially request clarificationoffactsbeforerequestinganyopinion fromtheVAR. If theVARbelieves that therefereeshouldviewthefootage(i.e.anOFR)thenthisshouldbecommunicatedtotherefereeasquicklyaspossible.

NB:TherewillbeoccasionswhenStep2canbeomittedasthiswillsavetime;theVARshouldalwaysbereadytorecommendanOFRtothereferee.Step 3 - the referee accepts the information from the VARs and takes theappropriate action/decision or decides to review the video footage in the RRA(OFR)beforetakingtheappropriateaction/decisionBasedontheinformationfromtheVAR,therefereewillinformtheVAReither:• thatadecisionwillbemadewithoutfurtherreviewofthefootage.Therefereewill

communicate the final decision to the VAR so that it can be recorded and,whereappropriate,communicatedtootherparties,or

• thattherefereehasdecidedtoviewthefootagedirectlyintheRRA(OFR)Forfactualdecisionsandforveryclearerrors,thereshouldbenoneedforanOFR.When the referee decides to review the footage directly, a review must be clearlyindicatedbyusingtheTVsignal;therefereemustensurethatplaydoesnotrestart.Whereappropriate,therefereeshouldclearlyindicatewhenanOFRwilloccur.TheVARwillrecommendwhichcameraangle(s)andreplayspeedsarethebestfortherefereetouseandthiswillbecommunicatedtotheRAbytheVAR(unlesstheRAispartofthematchofficials’communicationsystem).Inprinciple,thefootageavailableintheRRAisonlyfromonecameraangleasitisnoteasyforrefereestofocusonandassessanincident/decisionwhentherearemultipleangles(splitscreen).

29/67

During an OFR, the VAR should be ready to assist the referee, particularly if furthercamera angles or different replay speeds are required following the principle that, ingeneral:• slowmotionreplaysshouldonlybeusedfor‘pointofcontact’forphysicaloffences+

handball• normalspeedshouldbeusedfor‘intensity’ofanoffenceortodetermineifahandball

was‘deliberate’.Therefereewillhavetobesatisfied(andhavethesituationconfirmedbytheVAR)thattheprotocolsrelatingtowhetheranincidentcanbereviewedandtheperiodbefore/aftertheincidenthavebeenfollowed.6.4 RestartingplayafterareviewAllmatchofficialsshouldremainaware(andready toadvise thereferee)ofwhatandwheretherestartshouldbe,especiallyiftherefereestopsplayforareview.

6.5 AddedtimeOne of the match officials (usually an AR) should be responsible for recording andinformingtherefereehowlongareviewtook(fromtheTVsignaltoplayrestarting)sotherefereecanmakefullallowance.6.6 Bestpractice-communicationMajor League Soccer (The MLS) has undertaken a great deal of work in thiscommunication area. The following sub-sections are ‘best practice’ based on theMLSwork and other feedback. As stated at the beginning of this section, communicationprotocolswillneedtobetailoredforeachcompetitionbasedonexistingpractices,nativelanguageandfootball/refereeingterminologyetc.6.6.1 VAR<->RefereecommunicationbestpracticesVAR communication should provide descriptive, factual and concise accounts of theincidentunderreviewandincludethefollowing:• 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/adviceoftheVARtherefereeshouldclearlystatethefinaldecisione.g.therefereedecidesafoulchallengeisSFPbuttheVARadvisesthatitisonly‘reckless’.Iftherefereedecidestoremainwiththeoriginaldecisionandsendoff theplayer theVARshouldbe informed (for record-keeping purposes and clarity that there has been no communicationmisunderstanding) by the referee adopting a phrase such as: ‘Thank you for thefeedback.I’mstillissuingtheRCandwillberestartingplaywithadirectfreekick.’

• ifwalkie-talkiesareusedbetweentheVARand4thOfficial,athree-wayconversationmustbeestablishedwherebythe4thOfficialreiteratesallinformationcommunicatedfrom the referee and VAR to their respective counterpart and intended recipient.However, incaseswherethatcannotbeaccomplishedand/ormoreinformationisneeded(especiallyinthecaseofamajordecisionasdefinedbytheexperienceofthereferee),therefereeshouldjogoverto4thOfficial’sTableandspeakdirectlywithVARonthewalkie-talkie

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

isunderway6.6.3 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

• VARmustbecomeaccustomedtothemechanismusedtoopenandclosetheirmicduring direct communication with the referee versus that with the technologyproviderRAandRO

• designate a ‘CommunicationVideoReviewEngineer’ in chargeof liaisingwith theofficialsandtechnologyprovider,aswellashometeamDirectorofOperationsand/orFacilities

6.6.4 VideoreviewtroubleshootingIfthevideoreviewtechnologyfailscompletely:• theROimmediatelynotifiestheengineerinchargeofproduction,communications

and/ortechnology• theVARnotifiestherefereeand/or4thbycommunicationdeviceorwalkie-talkie.• thereferee(or4thofficial)notifiestheteamofficialsofbothteamsthatvideoreview

isnotactiveandwillnotbeactivatedfortheremainderofthematchunlessotherwisenotified

• ifvideoreviewbecomesactive,theVARshouldnotifytherefereeandthe4thofficialshouldnotifytheteamofficialsofbothteams

Ifthevideoreviewcommunicationsfailpartially:• theVARshoulduseawalkie-talkietocommunicatewiththe4thofficialwhowillnotify

theteamofficialsofboththatanyvideoreviewwillbeconductedviawalkie-talkieviathe4thofficial

Tobedetermined:How production and the in-stadium audience is notified of the various circumstancesoutlinedabove6.6.5 VARrecordkeepingThe IFAB, in conjunction with the appointed research institute, will determine whatrecordsshouldbekeptbytheVARofallpotentialreviewsituations;theserecordswillbeanimportantdatasourcefortheuniversity’sanalysisandforreferee-VAReducation6.6.6 VARinformationtobroadcasters,stadiumannounceretc.Protocols will be produced relating to how, when and what information relating toindividual reviews (notably theoutcome)will be communicated to theTVproductionteam(especiallythecommentatorsandanalysts)andspectatorsinthestadium.Thiswillusually be the responsibility of the AVAR who will use ‘standard’ terms for suchcommunication.

32/67

7. Experimenttimelines

Thetimelineshowstheoverallstructureoftheexperiment;individualcompetitionswillfollowthisstructurebuthavetheirowntimelines,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/practicesExperimentPhase2(August2017–March2018)• Monitoringexperimentsandpotential‘finetuning’• Implementationofreporting• Weeklyfeedbackmeeting/callwithcompetitionorganisers• Monthlyfeedbackfromdirectlyinvolvedstakeholders• Bi-monthlyfeedbackfromnon-directlyinvolvedstakeholders• Regularupdates/feedbackfromKULeuven

PreparationoffinalreportsforABM2017(November)andAGM2018(March)oraSpecialMeetingafterconclusionofExperimentPhase2• Debriefwithallinvolvedparties,includingresearchinstitution/university• ProvisionofallrequiredinformationforIFABmeetings• Recommendationbasedonthefindingsoftheexperiments

34/67

8. Protocolclarifications

8.1 AdvantageIfareviewrevealsamissedpenaltykickforTeamA,butplayhascontinuedandagoalisscoredbyTeamA,shouldthegoalstand?

WhataboutapotentialDOGSOinthepenaltyareainthefirstminuteofthegamewhereagoalisultimatelyscored?Inbothcases,thegoalstands.TherefereemakesdecisionsasiftherewasnoVARandteamscannotchoosebetweenapenaltykickandDOGSOoragoal,eveniftheformerisabetterstrategic option. If the reviewed penalty offencewas a DOGSO sending-off (RC), playingadvantagemeansthattheoffendingplayerreceivesaYC.8.2 BalloutofplayHowshouldanunseen‘balloutofplay’bemanaged?

Iftheballwhollycrossesthegoallineortouchlineitisa‘fact’thatitisoutofplayandplaymust stop. If theball goes out of playprior toa goal/penalty incident, thegoal/penaltycannotbeawarded;playmustrestartwiththecorrectrestartrelatedtotheballgoingoutofplay.Theballgoingoutofplaydoesnotnegateaplayerbeingsentoffforadirectredcardoffence(exceptDOGSO)buttherestartrelatestotheballoutofplay.TheVARshouldonlycommunicatetotherefereethattheballhasgoneoutofplayifthesubsequentplayresultsinagoal,penaltyincidentorDOGSOredcard.8.3 Disciplinaryaction–rescindingcardsIf, as the resultof a review, a sequenceofplay is ‘cancelled’, is thedisciplinaryactionrelatedtothatsequenceofplayrescinded?e.g.a‘notawarded’penaltyissubsequentlyawardedbutbeforeplaystopsaDOGSOoccursintheopposinghalfofthefield.In principle, anydisciplinaryaction taken remains in forceas players shouldalwaysactwithintheLawsoftheGame,soifaplayerwasguiltyofanoffencesuchasseriousfoulplay,arecklesschallenge,dissent,offensivelanguage,unsportingbehaviouretc.thedisciplinarysanctionwillremain.However, for a DOGSO or ‘stopping a promising attack’ offence if the phase of play is‘cancelled’thennopromisingattackorgoal-scoringopportunityexistedsoanyDOGSO/SPAdisciplinaryactiontakenshouldberescinded.Iftherefereechangesorrescinds/cancelsanydisciplinaryactionitisveryimportantthatthis ismadeveryclear toeveryone (othermatchofficials,players, coaches, spectatorsetc.).Thisisespeciallyimportantwhereaplayerhasacaution(YC)rescinded/cancelledandthen receives a caution (YC) later in the game and is not sent off as this risks causingconfusion,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 GoalscoredafterapossiblepenaltyattheotherendofthefieldWhathappensifthereisapenaltyincidentatoneendofthefieldofplayfromapossibleoffside situation but the referee does not award the penalty and the defending teamcounter-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’whistlebytherefereee.g.theARraisesflagforoffsideandtherefereewhistlesasagoalisscored?Thereferee (withVARassistance if requested)mayallowthegoal if thewhistlewasnotblownbeforetheballenteredthegoal(playersshouldignoretheflagandcontinueplaying).8.7 GoalscoredfromanindirectfreekickDoestheprotocolpermitareviewtodetermineiftheballtouchedasecondplayerbeforeitenteredthegoalfromanindirectfreekick?Theprotocolallowsareviewforanythingwhichrelatestothescoringofagoalincludingwhethertherewasa2ndtouchornotfromanindirectfreekick.

36/67

8.8 MisapplicationofLawWhatactionshouldtheVARtakeifamisapplicationofLawisclearlyidentified?

If thereisaclearmisapplicationoftheLawsoftheGamenot identifiedbytherefereeorothermatchofficialse.g.aplayertouchestheballa2ndtimeatarestart(includingapenaltykick),theVARmustinformtherefereeifagoalorpenaltysituationoccurs.Inothersituations,whereitisamatterofthereferee’sjudgment(e.g.9.15matafreekick)theVARshouldnotinformtherefereeastheVARisonlyforincidentswherethereisaclearerror/serious missed incident relating to a goal, penalty, direct red card or mistakenidentity.8.9 MultiplereviewsHow should the VAR manage a situation where a number of potentially reviewableincidents/offencesoccuratthesametimeorinquicksuccession?TheorderinwhichreviewstakeplacewillbedeterminedlargelybytheVARandreferee’sexperienceandinstinct.Theaimwillbetoachievethecorrectoutcomeasefficientlyandquicklyaspossible.Usually, the ‘first’ incidentwillbe reviewedas if this is changed theneverything that followed will probably become irrelevant (except for some types ofdisciplinaryaction).Themostsuitableorderwillbecomeevidentduringthereferee-VAReducationandisanareawheretheexchangeofinformationfromdifferentcompetitionswillbenefiteveryone.8.10 Neutralzone/situationWhat is thedefinitionof the ‘neutralzone/situation’whentherefereestopsplay forareview?

Theguidelinesforneutralzone/situationstoppagesaresimilartothosewhenthereisaninjuredplayeronthegroundinthepenaltyareai.e.playcanbestoppedwhenneitherteamhasaclearattackingopportunity.8.11 PenaltykicksandKicksfromthePenaltyMark(KFPM)Will penalty kicks be treated as a goal and, therefore, should the VAR reviewencroachment,goalkeepermovementofftheline,etc.?

Therefereecaninitiateareviewforanoffencebythegoalkeeperorkickerwhichdirectlyaffectstheoutcomeofthepenaltykickandthuswhetheragoalisscored.Ifanoffenceisclearlyidentified,thenecessarydisciplinaryactionmustalsobetaken.Encroachmentcanonlybereviewedif:• anattackerwhoencroachedscoresorisdirectlyinvolvedinagoalbeingscored• adefenderwhoencroachedpreventsanattackerplayingorbeingabletoplaytheball

inasituationwhereagoalmightbescored

37/67

Otherencroachmentoffencesandotherinfringementswhichdonotdirectlyaffectwhetheragoalisscoredcannotbereviewed.8.12 Restarts–canadecisionbechangedafterplayhasrestarted?Ifarestarthasbeentaken,canpreviousdecisionsbereviewedandpotentiallychanged?

Law5isclearthatarefereecannotchangeadecisiononceplayhasrestarted;refereeswillbeencouragednottoallowplaytorestart if there isthepossibilityofareview.Theonlyexception is fordirectsending-offoffencessuchasviolentconductwherethedisciplinaryactioncanbetakenbutplaydoesnotreverttotherestartassociatedwiththatoffence(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 apotentialclearerror/seriousmissedincidenthasoccurredbeforethewhistletoendthehalf–cantherefereereviewtheincident?

TheVARislikeanassistantreferee-ifanassistantrefereeisindicatinganoffencewhichoccurredbeforetherefereeblewthewhistle,therefereecanstilltakeactionaslongastherefereehasnotleftthefieldofplay.If this situation occurs, the VAR should immediately tell the refereewho can inform theplayers and stop them leaving the field of play. The incident should then be dealt withaccordingtothenormalVARprocedures(check,reviewetc.).Toavoidsuchproblems,inthefinalminutesofahalf,theVARshouldimmediatelyinformtherefereeofanypotentialcheck/reviewsothat,ifpossible,therefereecanstopplay/delayarestarttoavoidhavingareviewafterthewhistlefortheendofthehalfhasbeenblown.8.14 What should the VAR do if a ‘check’ for a possible red card

identifiesa‘missed’yellowcardoffence?TheVARischeckingapotential‘missed’directredcardbutthecheckrevealsthatitwasnotaredcardbutwasaclearyellowcard–whatshouldhappen?

Nothing–areviewcanonlyoccuriftherehasbeeninaclearerrorinvolvingamissedredcard.Ifthecheckrevealsthataclearredcardwasnotmissedtherecannotbeareviewandthereshouldnotbeanycommunicationwiththereferee,excepttoconfirmthattherewasnomissedredcard.‘Missed’yellowcardscanonlybeissuedaspartofareviewthatoccursbecauseofaclearerror/seriousmissedincidentinvolvingagoal,penalty,directredcardormistakenidentity.

38/67

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

IftherefereeisunsureifanoffenceisaYCorRC,cantherebeareviewbeforeacardisshown?No.Inprincipletherefereemustmakeadecisionandshowacard.TheVARwillthenchecktheincidentandcanonlyrecommendareviewifaclearerrorhasbeenmade.Onlyinveryexceptionalcircumstancecantherebea‘review’beforeacardisshown.. 8.16 Cantherefereeaskforareviewforanoffencebyasubstituteor

teamofficial?Thecoachbehavesbadlybutthisisnotseenbythereferee–canthisbereviewed? Reviewsareforincidentsrelatingtotheplayersbutareviewcouldbeusedinexceptionalcircumstancesforaredcardoffenceoragoal/penaltye.g.asubstitute/team,officialcommitsanoffenceagainstanopposingplayerormatchofficialorentersthefieldofplaytostopagoal.8.17 WhathappensiftheVARidentifiesaclear‘missed’penaltykick

butalsoanoffsideinthebuild-uptothemissedpenalty?TheVARseesthattherefereehasmadeaclearerrorinnotawardingapenaltykickbuttherewasalsoaclear‘missed’offside/handballintheattackingphaseleadinguptotheincident–whatshouldtheVARdo?

Thisisnoteasybutforthemanagementofthegameandtoavoidunnecessarycriticismafterthematch,therefereeshouldbeinformedofbothsituationsatthenextstoppage.Therefereethenhas2optionsdependingonhow‘clear’themissedpenaltyerrorwasandthestate/atmosphereofthegame:• initiatea‘review’knowingitwillresultinadecisionthattherewasan

offside/handballbeforethe‘missed’penaltysonopenaltyisawarded(buteverythingiscleartoeveryone)or

• informthecaptainoftheteamthatwouldhavebeenawardedthepenaltythattherewasanoffside/handballbeforethe‘penalty’sothepenaltywouldnothavebeenawarded(the4thofficialwouldinformthecoachandsomeoneinVORwouldinformthebroadcasters)

8.18 Ifareviewdoesnotleadtoachangeddecisiondoestherefereemakeallowanceforthetimetaken?

BasedoninformationfromtheVAR,therefereestopsplaybutthereviewthenshowsitwasnotapenalty-isallowancemadeforthetimetakenforthereview?Yes–whenevertherefereestopsplayordelaystherestartofplayfora‘check’orfora‘review’thetimebetweenthestartofthedelayandtherestartofplaymustbeincludedintheadditionaltimeattheendofthehalfinwhichitoccurred.

39/67

9. Refereeeducation

9.1 GeneralAseducationisvital,permissiontomovefrom‘offline’to‘live’experimentswillnotbegivenbyTheIFABuntilsufficientofflineeducationhasbeencompleted.Thesuccess(orotherwise)oftheVARsystemwillbejudgedprimarilyonthreefactors:• theaccuracyofrevieweddecisions• thenumberanddurationofreviews• theimpactofreviewsontheflowandemotionsofthegameTheeducationofallmatchofficialsandVARswillbecrucial.AlthoughthemainfocuswillbeontherefereesandVARs(+AVARs),theeducationofARs,4thofficialsandAARs(whereused)willalsobeimportant.Acrucialfeatureoftheeducationwillbetotrainreferees(andARs)toFORGETtheVARBEFORE givingadecision,but toREMEMBER theVARAFTER thedecision–refereesmustnotallowplaytorestartiftherecouldbeareview;ifnecessary,therefereeshouldcreatetimefortheVARto‘check’thesituation/decision.Thebiggesteducationchallengeismovingfromthetheoreticaland‘classroom’practiceto the ‘real thing’. It is very important that referee and VARs get as much ‘matchsimulation’practiceaspossibleasit iscrucialforthemtopractiseassessingsituations‘underpressure’.Thetrialmatchesshowedthatitwasnoteasyforreferees,inthemiddleofamatch,tochangetheir‘vision’tofocusonaTVscreen,especiallywhentheymaybeoutofbreathandfeelingunderpressure.Equally,itisnoteasyforVARtoassesscomplexsituationswhenunderrealpressure.ManypeoplewronglythinkthatbeingaVARsimplyinvolveswatchingthematchonTVandgivingtherefereeadvice.ThosewhohavestudiedVARindetailand/orwhohavefollowed theKNVB,MLSandFIFA trialmatches,knowthat it is farmorecomplex.Nocompetitionwillwantmajormistakes/delaysinthe‘live’useofVARsasthiswilldamagethe image of their competition (and the VAR system) andmay threaten the sportingintegrityofmatchesandpotentiallythewholecompetition.Given the skills and experience required, VARs should be referees who are or haverefereed(andarestillinvolvedinrefereeing)atthelevelofthecompetitionusingVARs.The IFAB will lead the referee education processes and will outline necessarystages/activities, assist with workshops and coordinate education and publicityresources,includinga‘library’ofmatchincidentsfortrainingandeducation.

40/67

Acrucial featurewillbenationalFAsandcompetitionssharinginformation(incidents,mistakes, good practice etc.) and resources (clips of incidents, clips of VAR-refereeinteractions,fullmatchesetc.).ThiscollaborativeandcollectivelearningwillbeessentialforrefereeeducationandthewholeVARexperiment; itwillbefacilitatedbyTheIFABplatform.9.2 WhocanbeaVideoAssistantReferee?SelectionofVARswillinevitablydependonresourcesandthetechnologysystem(matchcentreorVARatthestadium).However,VARsshouldhaveexperienceofrefereeingatthetoplevelinthecompetitionconcernedandcanonlybe:• 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)CompetitionsshouldconsiderthevalueofeachrefereeregularlyworkingwiththesameVAR,sothatVARbecomesamemberofareferee’s‘team’ofofficials.9.3 EducationprogrammesAsignificantamountofmatchofficialandVAReducation(theoreticalandpractical)willberequired–muchofitshouldbe‘jointeducation’sothatrefereesandVARsunderstandthepressures/challengeseachgroupfacesusingtheVARsystem.Educationmustbeon-goingandwillincreasinglybebasedontheexperienceoftheindividualcompetitionsandfeedbackfromothercompetitionsandTheIFAB.ItwillbeimportantthatVARs,AVARsandROsaresufficientlyskilledandfamiliarwithsituationswhereareviewablesituationoccurswhenacheck/reviewistakingplace.

41/67

EverystageoftheeducationprocessmustincluderegularreinforcementthattheVARisonly used for ‘clear errors’ or ‘seriousmissed incidents’ - ‘was the decision clearlywrong?’VARs,refereesandothermatchofficialsmustresistthe(perhapsunconscious)temptationtousetheVARsystemfordecisionswhicharenot‘clearlywrong’orwhichfalloutsidethereviewabledecisionsprotocol.9.3.1 TheoreticalVARs,AVARsandmatchofficials(especiallyreferees)mustfullyunderstandthedetailsofalltheprotocolssotheycanapplythemefficientlyandcorrectlywhenunderpressure.Inparticular,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

Thetheoreticaleducationwillbeextremelyimportantinestablishingaclearandeasilyapplied understanding of which incidents/offences can and cannot be reviewed anddetermining what constitutes a ‘clear error’ or ‘seriousmissed incident’ as these arefundamentalandcrucialjudgments.9.3.2 PracticalAswellasafullunderstandingofthetheoreticalrequirements,itwillbeessentialthataconsiderableamountoftimeisspentpractising,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 occursimultaneouslyorwithinashortperiodoftime

• 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 andapproachesOff-fieldpracticaleducationA considerable amount of time must be spent by each referee and VAR, workingindividuallyandingroups,inthefollowingareas:• studying and testing knowledge and understanding of all protocols and

recommendations• usingfootageofmatchincidents/situations/phasesofplay/halfandfullmatchesto

practisejudgingwhichincidentscan/cannotbereviewed,whatconstitutesa ‘clearerror’or‘seriousmissedincident’and,forVARs,developingtheabilitytoconcentrateforlongperiods.Theseexercisesshouldtakeplace:o withouttimepressureo undertimepressure,includingsomeelementof‘competition’betweendifferent

groupsofVARso usingdifferentreplayspeeds

Ideally,competitionswillestablishanonlineeducationplatformtoallowindividualstoundertakepersonaleducation,reinforcementandrefreshment(remotetraining).Inadditiontothevideo-basededucation,VARsandrefereesshouldregularly:• practisecommunicationandexchangeofinformation,including:

o VARandrefereeindifferentroomso VARinaroominthestadiumandtherefereeonthefieldofplay

• practiseworkingwithROsandRAstoselectandreviewfootage• practiserecordinginformationrelatingtoreviewableincidents/offences(VARs)On-fieldpracticaleducationThisisthemostimportantareaoftherefereeandVAReducationandneedsconsiderabletime–itisvitalthat‘timeandemotionalpressure’arecreatedasthisiswhattherefereesandVARsinthetrialmatcheshavefoundmostchallenging.

43/67

Afteraninitialphaseofvideo-basededucation,theeducationshouldextendtoconcurrenton-field education using players to simulate match situations/phases of play. Theseexercisesshouldfocusprimarilyon:• applyingallprotocolswithplayerscreatingmatchsituations• applying all protocols with players playing ‘normally’ (short and longer playing

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

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

• determiningwhetheranOFRisrequiredorwhenadecisioncanbemadebasedonlyon 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 bealertedtothepossibleneedforareview(orconfirmationthatdecisionwascorrect)

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

candistracttheVARfromwatchingthe‘live’action• positioningandmovementoftherefereeandothermatchofficialsduringareviewItisrecommendedthatthesesimulatedexercisesareusedtopractisedifferentlevelsofimpactonthereferee’sdecision-making:• nocommunicationbetweenrefereeandVAR(practiceforVAR)• communicationbetweenVARanda ‘surrogatereferee’(positionedon/closetothe

sideofthefieldofplay)–totestandrefinecommunicationprotocolsetc.thisisanimportantwayofcreating‘pressure’especiallyifusedduringa‘live’match

• communicationbetweenVARandrefereebutnoimpactondecisions(toallowtherefereetobecomefamiliarwithtypeandlevelsofinformationbeingreceived)

• communicationbetweenVARandrefereetoapplyallreviewprotocolstodecisionsAllstageswillrequirecarefulanalysis,feedbackand,whereappropriate,refinementofprotocols,especiallythoserelatingtocommunicationandusingthereplaytechnology.WhereVARswhoarenon-activerefereesareused,theymustspendsometimeinthesepracticalsessionsactingasthereferee(eitheronthefieldofplayorasa‘surrogate’nearthetechnicalarea)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’matchesarevitaltocreatethe‘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’trainingtodeveloptheabilityofVARstoconcentrateonaTVscreenfor2x45minuteperiodsWhen a competition/national FA believes it is ready for all the VAR protocols andpracticestobeusedin ‘live’matches(includingfriendlymatches),permissionmustbeobtainedfromTheIFABwhowillrequireclearevidencethatextensiveeducationofmatchofficialsandVARshas takenplace.To facilitate this,competitions/nationalFAsshouldkeep The IFAB fully and regularly informed of the various stages of their educationprogrammes.9.4 Trainingtopics9.4.1 GeneralTrainingshouldbestructuredtofocusonthedifferentreviewdecisions/offencesandatvaryingdegreesofcomplexity.Trainingshouldincludeidentifying:• decisions which should be decided only on information from the VAR (factual

decisionssuchasballin/outofplay,offenceinside/outsidepenaltyarea,positionofplayer(s)foroffside,goal/nogoal)

• decisionswhentherefereewillusuallywanttoviewthefootage(OFR)(subjectivedecisionssuchaswhetherachallengewasrecklessorexcessiveforce).

• situationswhentherefereeviewingthefootagewillhelp‘sell’thedecision(i.e.makeitmorereadilyaccepted)

• 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 followingimportantprinciples:• theVARisonlytobeusedtocorrectCLEARERRORS inthedefinedsetofmatch-

changingsituations(goals,penaltyincidents,(direct)redcardsandcasesofmistakenidentity)andforseriousmissedincidents

• therefereemustALWAYSMAKEADECISION–thereisnooptiontosay“Idon’tknowsoIwilllookatthevideo”

• 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)willnotusuallyrequireanOFR

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

• whereagoalisabouttobescoredandanoffsideflaghasbeenraised,delayingthewhistle may create the opportunity for a wrongly signalled ‘offside goal’ to beallowed,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 importantprinciples:• 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,fourthofficialsandAARsshouldfocusonthefollowingimportantprinciples:• onlytherefereecaninitiateareviewbuttheotherofficialscanrecommendareview• ARsmustALWAYSMAKEADECISION–thereisnooptiontosay“Idon’tknowsoI

will lookatthevideo”.However, ifaplayeriswithinthepenaltyareaandabouttoscore and there is real doubt about offside (position or offence) delaying the flagsignalmaypreventamajorerrorwhichcannotbecorrectedifplayhasbeenstopped

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

• 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-incidentsituationoccursSpecificreviewabledecisions/incidents:a. GoalsAllpossiblescenariosshouldbestudied/practised,withspecialattentiongivento:• offencebythescorer:

o foulonanopponento handballo offside

• balloutofplaypriortothegoal• ‘goal/nogoal’decision(wherethereisnoGLT)

b. Penaltykick• penaltykickwronglyawarded• penaltykickwronglynotawarded• locationofincident(insideoroutsidethepenaltyarea)• balloutofplaypriortotheincident• offencebygoalkeeper&/orkickeratthetakingofapenaltykick• encroachmentbyanattackerordefenderwhobecomesdirectlyinvolvedinplayif

thepenaltykickreboundsfromthegoalpost,crossbarorfromthegoalkeeper

47/67

c. RedCardOffenceseenby‘active’matchofficials• violentconductandspitting• seriousfoulplay(orrecklesschallenge)3• DOGSO(especiallypositionofoffenceandpositionofotherplayers)• massconfrontation

OffenceseenonlybyVAR• violentconductandspitting• seriousfoulplay(orrecklesschallenge)3• DOGSO(especiallypositionofoffenceandpositionofotherplayers)• massconfrontation• benefitofindicatingareviewquicklyasnomatchofficialhasseentheincident

d. Mistakenidentity(redoryellowcard)4• offencecorrectlydetectedbutthewrongplayersanctioned• offenceincorrectlydetectedandthewrongplayersanctioned

e. SituationsofdifferentcomplexitySpecialattentiongiventothosesituationswhicharemorecomplexandchallenging:• 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• massconfrontation• situationswhereapotentiallyreviewableoffencetakesplaceinonepenaltyareaand

playimmediatelymovestotheoppositehalf/penaltyarea• situationswhichareonthemarginsofprotocolsorwhichrarelyoccur• playneedstobestoppedforareviewbutitisdifficultidentifyingwhenplayisina

‘neutralzone/situation’

3Forpotentialseriousfoulplayoffences,iftherefereehaspenalisedtheoffence,areviewisonlypermittediftherefereehasgenuinedoubtastowhethertheoffenceexceedsthecriteriafor‘reckless’ 4Thisincludeswhenaplayerfromthewrongteamispenalisede.g.EUROfinalwhenaFrenchdefenderwaswronglypenalisedandcautionedforahandballwhichhadbeencommittedbyanadjacentPortugueseplayer

48/67

• situationswhichrequireadditionaldisciplinaryactionorforadisciplinarysanctiontoberescinded

• situationswherean‘offtheball’redcardoffenceiscommittedbyamemberoftheteamwhichthenisawardedapenaltykickorscoresagoal

• situationswherean‘offtheball’redcardoffenceiscommittedbyamemberoftheteamwhichthenconcedesapenaltykickoragoal

f. MultipleincidentsinquicksuccessionProbablythemostcomplexandchallengingsituationswillbethosewhereanumberofcrucialincidentsoccurinquicksuccession,e.g.Example1• possiblemissedpenaltyforTeamA• counter-attackbyTeamB• possibleoffsideandgoalscoredbyTeamB

Example2• possibleoffsideagainstTeamA• foulbyTeamBdefender–insideoroutsidepenaltyarea?• DOGSOorseriousfoulplay?

Example3• possiblemissedviolentconduct(offtheball)byTeamA• counter-attackbyTeamB• possibleoffsideandgoalscoredbyTeamBg. PlayermanagementAconsiderableamountoftrainingandeducationwillbenecessaryinrelationtoplayerandteamofficialmanagementincluding:• duringthereviewprocess–especiallywhentherefereeisintheRRA• communicatingthefinaldecisione.g.liaisonwiththecaptain(s)• oncethefinaldecisioniscommunicated,takingthenecessarydisciplinaryactionis

takenandensurethecorrectrestartatthecorrectposition• wheretopositionaplayerwhoisduetobeshowntheredcardbutthedecisionis

beingreviewed(e.g.isolatetheplayernearthereferee,playertoleavethefieldofplaybutstayinthetechnicalareaorwiththe4thofficialetc.)

9.5 TrainingmaterialTheeducationofrefereesandVARs(andothers)willbeoffundamentalimportancetotheVARexperimentandwillinvolveconsiderableuseofmatchfootage.Whilstusingclipsofindividualincidentswillbevaluable,itwillalsobeveryimportanttousewholematches,especiallytohelpVARsdevelopconcentrationpowersandtheabilitytoidentifyaclearerrorinamatch-changingsituationafteralongperiodofinaction.

49/67

Individualcompetitions/countriesshouldarrangetoexchangeclips,wholematchesandeducationideaswitheachothertoallowtheirreferees,VARsandothermatchofficialstotrainusingunfamiliarmaterial.Thiscollaborativeexchangewillplayavery importantroleinthesuccessorotherwiseoftheVARexperiment.9.6 Recommendations from the FIFA Club World Cup (Japan -

December2016)TheFIFAClubWorldCupinJapaninDecember2016providedanin-depthopportunitytotesttheVARsystem,eventhoughfewofthematchesrequireda‘review’.Judgingifa‘clearerror’hasoccurred• VARsshouldtrusttheir‘firstfeeling’whenapotentiallyreviewableincidentoccurs

i.e.doesthedecisionimmediate‘feel’wrong?• VARsshouldrememberthattheyshouldonlyintervenefor ‘clearerrors’andtheir

roleisnottore-refereethematchbuttoassisttherefereetoavoidclearerrorsonlyOffside• ARsshouldcontinuetomakeoffsidepositiondecisionsasiftherewasnoVAR• IfaplayerinthepenaltyareahasaclearopportunitytoscoreandtheARraisesthe

flagforacloseoffsidedecision,wherepossibletherefereeshoulddelaythewhistlesothat,incertaincircumstances,ifagoalisscoredandtheoffsideflagwasincorrect,thegoalcanbeallowed

Referees• If,duringanOFR,therefereerequiresadifferentangle/speedtherequestmustbe

specifice.g.“showmetheviewfrombehindthegoal”or“showmethatchallengeinslowmotion”

• RefereeshouldverballyacknowledgeanycommunicationfromtheVARsotheVARknowsthattherefereehasheardthecommunication

• Refereesshouldallowtimeafteramajordecision(e.g.goalhasbeenscored,penaltykickawarded)fortheVARtoundertakea‘check’

Systemmalfunction• The(temporary)malfunctioninonematchofascreenintheVORandoneintheRRA

emphasisedtheneedforeveryonetoknowtheexactprotocolandproceduresifthereisa(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 beinformedimmediately

Team/coach/mediainformation• Itprovedverybeneficial,whenbriefingteams/coaches/media,toshowthemclipsof

incidentswhicharelikelybereviewed–thismayhelpcreatemore‘fairplay’ifplayersareawareofwhattheymightbepenalised/sanctionedforduringamatchasresultofaVAR‘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(thisisariskwhenarefereeisnotusedtoundertakingreviews)–theTVsignalisrequiredforALLREVIEWS,notonlyOFRs

• VARshouldproactivelyassisttherefereetoidentifyaplayerwhoisduetoreceiveYCorRC(bettertopreventmistakenidentitythancorrectit)

• ItisveryusefultohavecommunicationbetweenVARandrefereeathalf-timetocheckcommunication,issuesinthematchetc.

• If there is a 2nd VAR (not an AVAR), there should be discussions (pre-match andduringthematch)todeterminewhataction/players/areaofthefieldeachVARlooksate.g.atacornerkickVAR1watchesplayinthegoalareawhileVAR2watchesplayersrunningtowardstheball

• Useful to have signs/notes/posters reminding the VAR of the key element of theprotocol–‘clearerrorsonly’etc.

• Allreplayanglesaresynchronisedsotheyallshowplayatexactlythesamemoment

51/67

10. Analysingthedata

10.1 GeneralUltimately,TheIFABwillhavetodecidewhethervideoassistanceisincorporatedintotheLawsoftheGame.Thisdecisionwillbebasedontheanswertothequestion:‘DoestheimplementationofVARsimprovethegame?’

Toanswerthisquestion,TheIFABhasappointedKULeuven(Belgium),auniversitywithconsiderableexpertiseinbothreferee/footballresearch,togatherandanalysetheVARdata.TheirresultswillbevalidatedbyTUMünchenandHarvarduniversities.Theirdatagatheringandanalysiswillaimtoanswerthefollowingsub-questions:

A. Whatistheimpactonrefereeing?• Behaviourofreferees• Behaviourofothermatchofficials-assistantreferees,additionalassistantreferees

andfourthofficials• Fairplay&applicationoftheLawsoftheGameB. Whatistheimpactonthegameitself?• Interruptionstothegame• Simplicityofthegame• BehaviourofplayersandcoachesC. Whatistheimpactontheemotionsofthegame?• Playersandcoaches(e.g.goalcelebrations)• Fanexperience(inthestadium&TV)• MediareactionCompetition organisers will be required (under the direction of The IFAB and theuniversity) to collect and transmit to KU Leuven and The IFAB detailed matchinformation, includingmatch footageand,potentially, footage filmed in theVARroom.Theywillalsoberequiredtocollectandtransmitfeedbackfromstakeholderswhoaredirectlyinvolved(referees,players,coachesetc.).Feedbackfromstakeholderswhoarenotdirectlyinvolvedintheexperiments,especiallyfootballfans,referees,playersandcoaches,willalsobeanalysed.KULeuven’sreportshouldprovideTheIFABwiththebroadestpossiblebasisuponwhichaVARimplementationdecisioncanbemade.

52/67

10.2 DatacollectionTheIFAB,incooperationwithKULeuven,hasdevelopedanonlineapplicationwhereinallthedataoftheoffline,semi-liveandlivetrialswillbegathered.Alltheprojectmanagerswillbeprovidedaccesstothisplatform.Theprojectmanagers,appointedbythecompetitionorganisers,arerequiredtouploadtheclipsfromallthechecksandreviewswithin72hoursaftereachmatchwithoffline,semi-liveandlivevideoassistance.Thebestfootages(mostlytheoperatoroutput)willbeused.Oncetheclipsareuploaded,theprojectmanagersshouldcompleteboththematchandtheclipsurveys.Thesequestionnaireswillcollectdetailedinformationaboutthematch,includingallchecksandreviews,andthedecision-makingprocedure.Otherstakeholderswhoareinvolveddirectlyintheexperimentwillbequestionedusingdifferentdatacollectionmethods.10.3 DataanalysisThedatacollectedfromallthematchesusingVARswillbeanalysedandreportedonaregularbasistoTheIFAB.Allthedatafromtheofflinetrialswillbeusedasabenchmark.Thedataofthelivetrialswill be analysed and comparedwith the offline trials. Together with the informationgatheredfromtheotherdirectlyinvolvedstakeholders,theaimistoexploreiftheusingVARs leads to ‘minimum interference’ (loss of time, etc.) with ‘maximum benefit’(increaseddecisionaccuracy,etc.).TheIFABwilluseexpertstodetermineareferencedecision for a selection of ‘grey zone’ clips to protect the consistency, reliability andvalidityofthedatacollectedthroughtheonlineapplication.10.4 EducationItwillalsobepossibletoshareinterestingclipsforeducationalpurposesafteraclipissuggestedbyaprojectmanagersandapprovedbyTheIFAB.EducatorswillhaveaccesstotheplatformtousethesharedclipsintheirworkshopstotraintherefereesandVARs.

53/67

11. Technologyandorganisation

11.1 VARTechnologyThevideoreplaytechnologyisatailor-madesystemforfootball,whichisoperatedbyareplayoperator(RO),andprovidestheVARswiththebestavailablecameraanglesinthefastestpossibletime.BasedondiscussionswiththetechnologyprovidersinvolvedintheexperimentandparticipatingnationalFAsandcompetitionorganisers,andexperiencefromtestingphase1oftheexperimentthefollowingrequirementshavebeenidentifiedasminimumstandardsforthetechnologicalsetupfor‘live’trialsintestingphase2.Thisstandardshouldensure thehighestpossiblequality for theVARsandrefereesallover the world and consistency among the participating competition organisers.Moreover,itisbeimportantforthereportingprocessinorderthattheselecteduniversitycancomparedatafromthevariouscompetitions.

11.1.1 KeyobjectivesInorderthatVARsareabletoimprovethegamewiththeirsupportforthereferee,thefollowingkeyobjectivesfromatechnologicalpointofviewhavetobefulfilled:

• VARandrefereesshouldbeabletousedifferentVARsystemsinthesamewaywithoutadditionalspecialtraining

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

• ThebestcameraanglesshouldbeprovidedinthefastestpossibletimetotheVARandtothedeviceintheRRAforpotentialreviewsbythereferee

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 followingminimumrequirementshavebeendefinedforthe“live”testingphase2:

54/67

Videooperationroom(VOR)Minimumrequirements:

Camerafeeds:• Theareamusthaveindependentaccessto,andreplaycontrolof,allbroadcastfeeds

andcameraangleswhichfocuspartially(zoom)orentirely(wide-angle)onthefieldofplayandtheTVprogrammefeed

• AllcamerafeedsusedfortheVARreviewmustbeavailableforthebroadcasteraswell

• Allavailablecamerafeedsmustbesynchronisedandshownonthescreensinrealtime(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/closetothegoalareafrontline(5.5m)

Workingstation:• TheVORoperationscanbelocatednear/inthestadium(inavehicleorroom),orata

centralisedreplayfacilityandrequiresaVARandAVAR• TheVARshouldusetwoscreens.OnonemonitortheVARcanfollowthematchin

real-timeand the secondshouldbeused for theactual reviewprocess.TheAVARshouldhaveapersonalownmonitortowatchthelivefeedswhileacheckisongoing.

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 eachstadium

HeadsetcommunicationRequirements:• TheVARheadsetmustbeintegratedintothematchofficials’headsetsystem• TheheadsetsoftheAVAR,ROandRAshouldalsobeintegratedinthecommunication

systembutshouldonlyallowlisteningtothecommunication;onlyheadphonesareallowedsincetheyaremoreeffectivethanear-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 andpotentiallyleadtoconfusionandevendecisionerrors.

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 theworkalreadyundertakenbytheMLS.

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

zoom;splitscreen;touchscreen;graphicsfrombroadcastortechnologyproviderifverified,butnotfromboth.

• Efficient processes and support of VAR, including the identification of potentialviews/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/ROcommunicationandVARinterfacewithtechnicaltools;remotetrainingtool.

• Documentation–manual taggingandrecordingof incidentsreviewedduringeachtrainingand/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 mouthincidentsandoffside

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

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

57/67

• Connectiontotheon-fieldmonitorwithvenue-specificchallengesconsidered• Designationofa ‘ProductionVideoReviewEngineer’ inchargeof liaisingwith the

DirectorofBroadcastingandthetechnologyprovider,aswellasfortroubleshootingpurposes

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

• AdjustingfootageforbrightnessbasedontimeofdaywillhelpprovidethebestimagetoVARs

• Considerationshouldbemadeforreverseleftandright18szoomedoutforoffsideandreverseangleperspectives5

• Mannedreverseanglecamerasrequireunderstandingandtrainingforoffside• Extracamerasshouldbeavailableasredundancies(backup)forcamerafailure• Acontingencyplanandtroubleshootinglistshouldexistforotherproductionfailures• Syncedcamerasusing‘beacons’ensuretimingisexact,especiallyonsplitscreenplays

(offside)• MustuseeithergraphicsprovidedbytheVARtoexplaindecisionsorverifiedself-

createdimages11.1.8 Productionchallenges• Stabilityproblemsturnedscreenstemporarilyblack• AtleasttwoMLSgamesthisseason(‘16)havefailedforextendedperiodsoftime(1-

6minutes).• A feedwas unpluggedmistakenly at field level and in the VideoOperation Room

resultinginnofeedforanentiregameduringthePortlandTrial.Thethreatoflosingthe entire broadcast if troubleshooting was to be initiated minimized immediateoptions.

• ‘Routers’werenot‘reset’socolourbarsreplacedfieldimagesonspecificscreens;nopointpersonfromproductionwasavailabletotroubleshootand,therefore,requiredindividualswithothervideoreviewresponsibilitiestoseeksupport.

• Nocommunicationwasestablishedbetweenreverseanglecameraoperatorsandtheproductionbooth/trucknegatingtheabilitytotroubleshootapoorapproachand/orfixbrightnessissuesassociatedwithpre-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(toomuchstadiumview).

• Anappropriateandeffectivepolicymustbeestablishedifsome/allcamerasarelost.

5Reverseanglecameraswerefoundtobecriticalforincidentsontheoppositesideofthefieldand/orwhereplayerslimitedorobstructedtheviewnecessaryfortheVARtomakeadecision.

58/67

• TheItalyvFrancematchinBariwasproducedasadoublebroadcastproductionwith23camerafeedsand2worldfeeds.Thepreparationofthematchidentifiedadditionalchallengesforsuchasetup:

• 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 technologyproviderRA.

• Designatea ‘CommunicationVideoReviewEngineer’ in chargeof liaisingwith theofficialsandtechnologyprovider,aswellashometeamDirectorofOperationsand/orFacilities.

• In the ItalyvFrancematch inBari, therefereeswereverypleasedwith theaudioqualityoftheRefComs,onceproblemswerefixedbyAdeunis/VokkeroandHawk-Eye. It is recommended that theVARtechnologyprovidershouldhaveacompleteRefComsystemforeachmatchandmustguaranteethatitworksclearly,reliablyandwithoutstaticinterference.TheprovidershouldbeincontactwithAdeunis/Vokkeroor other system providers to ensure the use of the best available hardware andconfiguration.Therefereeorcompetitionorganisershouldprovidetheheadsetsthatplugintotheradios.

• In Japan it was clear that communication with the broadcasters etc. can not beundertaken by the VARs or the main RO, especially when there are languageconsiderations

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) andprotectedfromplayers,teamofficialsetc.

• TheremustbesufficientpersonneltopreventanyoneotherthantherefereeandRAenteringtheRRAatanystage(unlesstherefereerequiresofanothermatchofficial)

• No form of commercial advertising, whether real or virtual, is permitted on thegroundwithintheRRA(thisisconsistentwithLaw1–technicalarea)

• TheRRAneedsomecovertoprotectthescreenfromtheweather,theball,thrownobjectsetc.,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,theremustbeenoughROs(well-trainedandwithrelevantexpertise)andanAVARtoassisttheVARselectthebestfootage(anglesandreplayspeed)asquicklyaspossiblefor:• checksbytheVARforsuspected/potentialreviewableincidents/offences• anyreviewrequestedbytherefereeAllactivityintheVORwillberecordedbycamerawithsoundto:• 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

• alloccupantsoftheVORwillhavethesamerestrictionsontheuseofmobilephonesetc.asapplytothematchofficials

• theItalyvFrancematchinBarihighlightedtheimportanceoftheneedforsecurityaround the VOR, especially if it is a van in the TV compound or any area whereunauthorisedpeoplehaveaccess.Aswellassecurity,anexposedVORlocationcancauseissuesrelatingtodistractions,undueinterference/influence

• To allow the occupants of the VOR to prepare for the match NO ONE should bepermittedtoentertheVORfrom30minutesbeforekick-off–thisisespeciallytrueforvisitors.Thesamerestrictionshouldapplyathalf-time.Officialobservers fromFIFAorTheIFABarepermittedtobeintheVOR

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’ofanoffenceortodetermineifhandballwas‘deliberate’.

11.2.4 Camerainformation(general)Thegeneralrequirementsforcameraperspectivesfortheprovisionofthe‘best’anglesofeachincidentfortheVARinclude: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-setandsynchronizedsotheVARandROareabletoswitchtoaspecificframefromadifferentanglewithinonesecond.One camera should be filming the field of play throughout – this may be especiallyimportantduringareviewincasethereismisconduct. As part of the pre-match preparation, the referee, VAR, RA and RO should agree thenames/titles of the different camera angles and, where possible, these names/titlesshouldbevisibleonthescreensintheVORandRRA.

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-in12.1.2 VideoAssistantReferee• 120minutes Arrivalatfield• 105minutes Firsttestofcommunicationswithcrewduringfieldinspection• 60minutes Rosterofplayersreceived–meetwithHawkeye–familiarizewith

TV setup – backup communications checked – reviewcommunicationsprotocol

• 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/oraudibledistractions12.3 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;usetwofingersforzooming;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.thatthemainaimoftheexperimentisonlytoeliminateclear 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‘wasthedecisionclearlywrong?

• everyone(allcompetitions,nationalFAsandFIFA)isusingthesameprotocol-‘oneprotocol–usedbyall’

Itwillbevery importanttoestablishthattheaimisnottoachieve100%accuracyforeverydecisionasthiswoulddestroytheessentialflowandemotionsofthegamewhichresult from football being devoid of frequent lengthy stoppages. This will requirejustificationforthelimitsestablishedfortheuseofvideoassistance.The underlying principles of the experiment and its conduct and analysis must beeffectivelycommunicatedtothefootballworld,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 thebehaviourofplayers,coaches,spectatorsandotherstakeholders.

Therestrictionsandprinciplesof theexperimentshouldbeproactivelyandeffectivelycommunicatedtoallstakeholders(teams,fans,mediaetc.),notablythat:• theVARsystemisonlytocorrectclearerrorsinmatchchangingsituationsand

seriousmissedincidents.• adecisionnottopenalise(allowplaytocontinue)canbereviewed

66/67

• onlytherefereecaninitiateareview,andonlytherefereewilldecidewhethertomakeadecisionbasedoninformationfromtheVARorviewthefootagedirectly

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

situationsiftherefereedoesnothavetimeoropportunitytostopplayina‘neutralzone/situation’ e.g. a quick counter attack leading to a goal following a penaltyincidentintheotherhalfofthefieldofplay.

• restartdecisionscannotbereviewedanddecisionscannotbereviewed(exceptsomeredcardoffences)ifplayhasrestarted

• althoughyellowcardscannotbereviewed,theycanbeissuedorrescindedfollowingareviewofapenalty,goal,redcardora‘missed’incident

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

ExperienceinJapandemonstratedtheneedforcompetitionorganiserstohavesomeoneactive‘online’onsocialmediaduringeachmatchtodealwithissues/decisions/situationsrelatingtotheuse(ornon-use)ofVARs

67/67

14. Glossary

AssistantVideoAssistantReferee(AVAR)*–pronouncedA-V-A-R–usuallyacurrentorformerrefereeappointedtoassisttheVideoAssistantReferee(VAR)especiallyto:• watchthe‘live’actionwhentheVARisundertakinga‘check’ora‘review’• keepnotesofincidentsetc.• communicatetheoutcomeofareviewtothebroadcastersAttackingpossessionphase(APP)–the‘startingpoint’ofthereviewableperiodofplayforagoal,penaltyincidentorDOGSOoffence.Itisthestartoftheattackingmovewhichledtothegoal,penaltyincidentorDOGSOoffenceand,ifrelevant,howpossessionoftheballwasgainedatthestartofthatphaseofplay(butnotarestartwhichbegantheattack)On-field review (OFR) –when the referee decides to view the replay footage in therefereereviewarea(RRA)Refereereviewarea(RRA)–‘visible’locationoutsidethefieldofplaywheretherefereecanviewreplayfootageReplayoperator(RO)*–personwithtechnicalknowledgewhoassiststheVARinthevideooperationroom(VOR)Reviewassistant(RA)*–personwhoassiststherefereeintherefereereviewarea(RRA)Silentcheck–whentheVARchecksadecision/incidentbuthasnocommunicationwiththereferee(noclearerroridentified)Video Assistant Referee (VAR)* – pronounced V-A-R – a current or former refereeappointedtoassisttherefereetocorrectaclearerrorinamatch-changingsituation(orifaseriousincidentismissed)bycommunicatinginformationfromreplayfootageVideooperationroom(VOR)–theroom/areawheretheVAR,AVARandROetc.viewthematchandhaveindependentaccessto,andcontrolof,thebroadcaster’svideoreplayfootage.Itmaybein/neartothestadiumorinamorecentrallocation(e.g.matchcentre)*–theVAR,AVAR,ROandRAmustbeneutralinrespecttocompetingteams