VAR will again take center stage this summer. Here's what to know about how it works and what's new for the 2026 World Cup.

Ex-Fiorentina and Milan star Riccardo Montolivo complains that VAR has ‘more power’ than on-the-field referees: ‘It should be the other way around, like this, it’s a mess.’ Italian referees are under ...

What the new study examined To help clarify, Walker and colleagues analyzed VAR decisions across 1,520 English Premier League matches spanning four recent seasons. In this time, referees were advised ...

Must do better? Yes, afraid so. Easy as it is to cast aspersions on former colleagues from the ivory tower of retirement, referees’ accuracy in the Premier League has dipped this season and a strong ...

Design: Kelsea Petersen/The Athletic; Photos: Paul Ellis/Getty Images, Ryan Pierce/Getty Images Graham Scott refereed in the Premier League for a decade before retiring in 2025 to return to his ...

Former Premier League referee Graham Scott says VAR is not fit for purpose. VAR has been used in the Premier League since the start of the 2019–20 season, after being officially approved and ...

The 2026 World Cupis almost here and the tournament will make history as the first edition to have 48 teams in action and the first edition hosted by three different countries — ...

A former Premier League referee has said VAR is “not fit for purpose”, admitting the “price being paid for greater accuracy feels far too high”. Graham Scott refereed in the Premier League for over a ...

According to reports in Italy, VAR officials were allegedly influenced by external figures, such as referees’ chief Gianluca Rocchi, who used ‘coded messages’ to suggest whether to alert the referee ...

Referees now announce VAR decisions to stadium crowds and the television audience Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images Back in the day, there was a common saying about football referees: a good ref is ...

Body language expert Mark Bowden explains how World Cup referees use space, gestures, captains, cards, and VAR walks to ...