VAR powers to be extended as new 'Laws of the Game' to be confirmed in February

Martin Macdonald

• 27 Jan 2026 05:45 CST
• 5 min read

Nieuws

This coming February, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) will vote on several new tweaks to the rules and regulations of football - including an extension to the powers of VAR.

A meeting was held in London last week to determine these new recommendations, with representatives from English, Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Irish football present.

What are IFAB recommending?

There are several new recommendations from IFAB. They are...

- Presently, only 'key match incidents' such as goals, penalties and straight red cards are addressed by the officials in the VAR video booth. This could be extended to yellow cards that are incorrectly awarded that lead to a subsequent red card as well as incorrectly given corner-kicks that results in a goal.

Any incident of mistaken identity when it comes to cards will also be reviewed.

- Last year, IFAB implemented an eight-second countdown for goalkeepers holding the ball. This could also be introduced for players taking too long with throw-ins and goal-kicks.

- Players who receive on-field treatment due to an injury will be required to remain at the side of the pitch for an extended period after play has resumed. This is to combat players feigning injuries to run down the clock.

- Players substituted off will have 10 seconds to leave the pitch or risk a booking.

“Today, four people were not able to decide,” @ManCity manager Pep Guardiola speaks after VAR ruled out Antoine Semenyo’s second goal in their #CarabaoCup first leg semi-final win over Newcastle United at St James’ Park.

More #GettyVideo #EFL 🎥 Niche Sport Media 👉… pic.twitter.com/1psIH0C758

— Getty Images Sport (@GettySport) January 14, 2026

Some leagues aren't happy about the potential VAR expansion.

The Football Association's chief executive Mark Bullingham, who is also on IFAB's board, previously told BBC Sport: "We don't think there's any need to extend the use of VAR. There are regular discussions in IFAB about what VAR should be, and how it should move forward. I think our position is that we're in a good place now.

"Of course, if someone brings an item forward for Ifab to consider, then as a group we'll consider it. But as a group we don't necessarily think that VAR needs to be extended at the moment. We think there's enough interruptions to the game in the current model."

IFAB statement

Here's the IFAB statement in full.

"At its Annual Business Meeting (ABM) held in London and chaired by Noel Mooney, Chief Executive of The Football Association of Wales, The IFAB focused on various measures aimed at continuing to improve match flow and reduce tempo disruption.

"Following positive global feedback on the change made in the Laws of the Game 2025/26 to prevent goalkeepers from holding the ball for too long, other measures to reduce tempo disruption were agreed. One such amendment would involve applying the countdown principle to throw-ins and goal kicks, enabling referees to start counting down when players are delaying the taking of those restarts.

"Following recommendations made by The IFAB’s Football and Technical Advisory Panels in October 2025, the meeting proposed amendments to the Laws of the Game that would require players who receive on-field injury treatment or assessment to leave the field of play and remain off it for a fixed period (to be determined) after play has restarted. The meeting also agreed that a ten-second time limit should be enforced for players leaving the field of play when being substituted.

"In relation to the video assistant referee (VAR) protocol, the ABM recommended that VAR intervention should remain restricted to four match-changing situations (goal/no goal, penalty/no penalty, red cards and mistaken identity), but with three specific extensions that would not overly interrupt the flow of the game or slow down play.

"The ABM proposed that, where there is clear factual evidence, video match officials should be permitted to review red cards resulting from incorrect second yellow cards, as well as cases of mistaken identity in which the wrong team is penalised for an offence resulting in a red or yellow card. The meeting also proposed that competitions be permitted the option for video match officials to review instances of a clearly wrongly awarded corner kick, provided that this can be done immediately and without delaying the restart.

"The ABM agreed to continue with offside trials, and further updates were provided on developments in semi-automated offside technology and the ongoing FIFA-led trial of Football Video Support, both of which have been successfully implemented at FIFA tournaments and in a number of domestic competitions.

"The ABM was also informed about trials involving referees wearing body cameras at grassroots and senior levels and expressed support for incorporating their use as an option for competitions in the Laws of the Game.

"The ABM determines the agenda for The IFAB’s Annual General Meeting, which is scheduled to take place in Wales on Saturday, 28 February 2026."

Official IFAB statement

"In relation to the video assistant referee (VAR) protocol, it was discussed that, among others, the video match officials (VMO) should have the possibility to intervene when an incorrect second yellow card has been given.

"A relevant proposal will be submitted to the Ifab’s Annual Business Meeting, which is due to meet on 20 January 2026 in London.

"Deliberations included whether the countdown principle could be applied to throw-ins and goal kicks and how to reduce the amount of time lost owing to stoppages caused by injuries and substitutions."