The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in Serie A is set to have a huge change in the 2025/26 Season, as match officials look to become less vague.
How Will VAR Change In Serie A For 2025/26 Season?
VAR has been one of the most controversial additions to the world of soccer in recent history, with many supporters questioning its implementation and it’s overall performance.
The referring assistant was first brought into a major soccer competition during the 2018 World Cup, as it was used in a friendly matches in the years prior.
It’s fair to say that it has split opinion across the globe, with supporters disagreeing with a plethora of outcomes from its usage, from the time it takes to make a decision, to offsides being called for a mere millimeter.
VAR has also impacted the sport outside of the pitch, with offshore sportsbooks lowering the odds for things like red cards and penalties as they have become significantly more likely.
For Serie A specifically, VAR was first implemented for the 2017/18 season, with Italy being the first nation to use the technology from Europe’s top leagues – causing plenty of controversy along the way.
After multiple years of fans complaining over a lack of communication and being out of the loop when a decision is being made, there has been a major decision to help remove this ambiguity.
Serie A’s head of referees, Gianluca Rocchi, has revealed that referees will now be able to communicate with crowds via headset when a decision is being made – with aims of taking a step forward in communication.
Rocchi said: “The big news for next season will be on-field announcements. The referee will be able to explain the decision made after a VAR intervention directly to the stadium and on TV.
“This is an important step forward in communication, which we have been managing transparently. Now, however, the explanations will be in real-time, in front of everyone.
“We will prepare thoroughly. Especially from a communication standpoint. We have a selected group and want to standardize language and content to be clear with the public.
“There is no maximum time limit for on-field announcements because every referee has their own style, language, and reaction times. We still need to work on standardizing the content of the explanations. But we will not impose strict limits: the quality of communication will matter most.”
What Are The Worst VAR Mistakes In Serie A History?
Serie A has seen plenty of huge mistakes since VAR came into the league back in 2017/18, with fans, players and managers being left furious on multiple occasions.
Gian Piero Gasperini, who recently claimed his Roma side are stretched thin ahead of the 2025/26 season, has been a huge critic for VAR in recent years.
During its first full-season, VAR was put into the firing line instantly during GW1 of the 17/18 campaign, as Cagliari were not awarded a clear penalty following a blatant foul on Duje Cop by Alex Sandro.
This led to supporters questioning VAR straight away as Juventus benefited from a mistake, with the Old Lady being the biggest club across Italy.
Since then there has been countless situations where VAR has caught criticism, including a poor handball call in 2018/19 during Inter’s 3-3 draw with Fiorentina and Adrien Rabiot’s blatant handball being missed in 2019/20.
In 2022/23 VAR made arguably its biggest mistake to date, as Arkadiusz Milik saw his last-minute winner for Juventus be ruled out after the Video Assistant Referee ruled the goal out for offside.
The technology claimed that Leonardo Bonucci was in an offside position, however, due to a misused camera angle VAR did not consider a Salernitana defender who was actually keeping the Juventus star onside.
