Overview
- Daniele Orsato formally set a season-long line that VAR should intervene only for “clear and evident” errors and said he will keep that approach through the end of the campaign.
- Orsato publicly acknowledged seven concrete officiating mistakes from early fixtures, naming incidents such as Kalulu on Rowe, Vlasic’s hand, Dragusin on Monterisi and Jimenez’s violent conduct.
- CAN/AIA statistics after five rounds show measurable change with effective playing time up about 5 minutes 53 seconds to 59:24, fewer fouls per game and only five penalties in five rounds.
- Use of VAR has fallen sharply with just one on-field review and three overrules reported in the opening rounds, and the AIA says it is only evaluating a return of public-review formats such as Open VAR without confirming plans.
- Orsato tied the shift to referee development, stressing better on-field positioning, fitness and training for younger officials and warning that fewer VAR interventions increase the consequence of individual errors.