Uefa referees’ chief launches Clear Line and warns some VAR reviews ‘were not connected with football’

Uefa referees' chief Roberto Rosetti said some VAR reviews "were not connected with football" as he launched Clear Line on 10 August 2026, after meeting with lead referee officers from England, Spain, Germany, France and Italy last month. He called for a tighter, more consistent use of VAR and stressed the match referee must remain central to decision-making.

Rosetti launched Clear Line, described in the Uefa announcement as a first-of-its-kind portal for fans, during discussions with senior refereeing figures and Ifab technical director David Elleray aimed at finding a more uniform approach to VAR. "We realise that everywhere now there is not any satisfaction about how VAR is impacting football," Rosetti said, adding: "So we want to avoid microscopic situations. The context is super important. It's football, not PlayStation. We need to be very, very careful." Rosetti, a former referee who officiated the Euro 2008 final, said the initiative was intended to clarify when VAR should intervene.

Handball remained a key area of inconsistency across competitions, with the Premier League recording one handball penalty every 17.27 games last season, the Bundesliga 10.93, La Liga 10.56, Serie A 10.00 and Ligue 1 9.27; in the Champions League the figure was one penalty every seven games. Uefa has uploaded many video examples of handball situations to Clear Line to explain what is considered an offence. "The idea is to be more consistent in the application of the laws," Rosetti said. "The perception about handball in England is different. Football is not perfect, and sometimes we will continue to have similar situations interpreted in different ways. But at least we are working together."

VAR intervention rates also vary markedly: the Premier League had the lowest intervention rate in Europe in 2025-26 at 0.29 per game, while the Champions League recorded 0.47 interventions per game. Rosetti said the volume of reviews had become a problem, that there were "too many reviews" and that increased interventions were influencing player behaviour as teams sought to play for video decisions. "We wanted to come back to the origin of VAR," Rosetti said, referencing incidents like Diego Maradona's 'Hand of God' goal for Argentina against England at the 1986 World Cup. "We are not happy any more about this kind of use of VAR."

Timing and presentation of reviews were highlighted as particular concerns: Rosetti warned any check longer than 90 seconds risks "losing credibility" and described a new collective protocol for on-monitor reviews that uses a freeze-frame for point of contact, followed by half-speed, then full speed to assess intensity. "We like referees with personality, taking decisions on the pitch, and VAR intervening only for clear and obvious situations," he said. "So clear images without too many replays. It is something that for us is very important."

Rosetti characterised Clear Line as "a guide for all the people of football" rather than a tool for officials, and said it covers every area VAR can address — penalties, red cards, attacking offences, factual decisions and mistaken identity — with detailed video examples. "We started to think how we could help everyone to understand VAR better," he said. "It's a library, a structure, a document where we explain when [and] how VAR will intervene." He added: "This is not a web page for referees. This is the space that we would you to go to after a Champions League match to check how an incident compares with this library."

Rosetti said Clear Line is intended as a reference for clubs, players and supporters to consult after matches. "It's for the clubs, for the players, for the fans," he said, presenting the portal as the immediate resource Uefa wants stakeholders to use when evaluating contentious incidents.