European referee chiefs urge VAR to only intervene on blatantly incorrect decisions

Chief refereeing officers from all 55 European national football associations, along with Uefa and IFAB representatives, have agreed that VAR should only be used to correct 'blatantly incorrect' decisions or clear missed incidents, returning to its original 'minimum interference - maximum benefit' philosophy. The meeting criticized 'lengthy, microscoping reviews' as a sign that the on-field decision was not clearly wrong. Officials also clarified the 'mistaken identity' rule, limiting VAR's role in reviewing cautions to identifying the correct player, not altering the offence. Additionally, there was unanimous support for new rules to reduce delays, including time limits on goal-kicks, throw-ins, and substitutions. BBC analyst Simon Stone notes that while the intent is positive, the subjective nature of 'clear and obvious' will likely continue to fuel debate.