Roberto Rosetti, the current head of UEFA’s refereeing division, recently shared his thoughts on the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system and potential changes in football officiating. Rosetti emphasized that removing VAR is unthinkable, stating, “Imagine the chaos in football if we were to undo all the progress made in recent years.”

Addressing the idea of on-demand VAR reviews, Rosetti expressed concerns about its impact on game flow. He pointed out that currently, there’s a VAR intervention every three matches, with 214 VAR interventions occurring in 660 matches this year. Rosetti questioned whether allowing coaches or captains to request VAR reviews twice per match might disrupt the game’s fluidity. He also raised concerns about potential tactical abuse of such a system to break the rhythm of play.

Regarding the implementation of effective playing time, Rosetti stated that it’s not currently compatible with football’s pace. He highlighted UEFA’s satisfaction with the average duration of Champions League matches, which is nearly 60 minutes of effective play. Rosetti emphasized ongoing efforts to make matches faster with fewer interruptions.

The UEFA refereeing chief also commented on the recent approval of captains being the sole players allowed to request explanations from referees. Rosetti described this as a simple yet crucial project for football’s image and educational value. He concluded by expressing frustration with the ongoing harassment of referees, stating, “We’re tired of the mobbing towards referees. This is just the beginning of our efforts to address this issue.”