UEFA moving to reform VAR: 'We want to put referees back at the centre'

[p][b]"We want to return to the origins of VAR,"[/b] explained UEFA's head of referees, Roberto Rosetti. He referred to moments like Diego Maradona's Hand of God goal against England at the 1986 World Cup.[/p][p][b]"[/b][b]We are no longer satisfied with this way of using VAR. We want to take a step back and put referees back at the centre," [/b]he explained.[/p][p]In the future, VAR should [b]"[/b][b]only intervene in clear and obvious situations,"[/b] said the Italian. "For a while, the trend was towards more and more interventions, but in the end, we overdid it."[/p][image alt="UEFA wants to revolutionize the use of VAR" id="a40b9db6-b8dc-43d9-b3e7-3bba42580f2a" credit-line="BRUNO DE CARVALHO / BRAZIL PHOTO PRESS / BRAZIL PHOTO PRESS VIA AFP" guid="1b3a0955-38ae-4769-abc8-b34fedd73967" original-width="1230" original-height="820" /][p]They no longer want to make "microscopic interventions." Nor to give the referee a "second chance." Instead, VAR should be used exclusively for [b]"clear and obvious errors." [/b][/p][p][b]"This is football, not PlayStation. We have to be very, very careful," [/b]Rosetti added.[/p][p]The length of VAR reviews is a major concern for Rosetti, too. Any review that takes longer than 90 seconds risks "losing credibility."[/p][p]When it comes to red cards, the dynamics of the situation should become more important as a basis for decisions. So-called "freeze-frame decisions" will still be shown, but will be followed by several real-time replays.[/p][image alt="The handling of red cards is also set to change" id="80998e9c-d681-4fec-9bdc-bc3d6cc07008" credit-line="TAKUYA YOSHINO / YOMIURI / THE YOMIURI SHIMBUN VIA AFP" guid="1cae8583-7984-426b-8464-814aeeb3e417" original-width="1230" original-height="821" /][h2]New tool 'Clear Line' introduced[/h2][p]UEFA's head of referees Rosetti explained this during the presentation of Clear Line - a new online platform that provides clear guidelines for the consistent application of the rules and VAR use in European leagues and European club competitions.[/p][p]Decisions by referees should become more transparent through Clear Line, which is accessible to everyone on the UEFA website and offers around 150 reference scenarios.[/p][p][b]"[/b][b]The idea is to ensure more consistency in the application of the rules,"[/b] said Rosetti at a press event with a few selected media, including [i]kicker[/i].[/p]