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IFAB Puts VAR Reviews of Second Yellows to a Vote, Eyes Broader Time‑Wasting Curbs

The rules panel has advanced the VAR review idea to a formal vote after citing recent controversies and trials as justification.

Overview

  • Advisory committees backed taking a proposal to allow VAR to review incidents leading to a second yellow-card dismissal to IFAB’s annual assembly.
  • Current protocols bar VAR from intervening on second cautions, a gap highlighted by Gonzalo Plata’s Libertadores expulsion that CONMEBOL later effectively overturned.
  • The assembly is slated for December in London, with reporting split on rollout timing, ranging from as early as January to homologation in March 2026 and potential use at the 2026 World Cup.
  • Time‑wasting measures under study include a referee countdown for throw‑ins and goal kicks, with a five‑second signal and possible sanction of awarding a corner if delays persist.
  • The Wegner offside concept remains under review, and the board will also debate whether to elevate the U‑20 World Cup’s green card experiment to senior competition.