Overview
- The face-to-face meeting at the Lissone VAR hub on Monday brought refereeing chiefs, Lega Serie A and club representatives together to review the first five rounds of the season.
- Refereeing designator Daniele Orsato and director Domenico Messina presented data showing average ball-in-play rose to 59 minutes 31 seconds, about five and a half minutes more than the last two seasons.
- Officials reported steep drops in stoppages and punishments with only two penalties awarded so far versus nine at the same stage last season and just one On-Field Review compared with six to eight previously.
- Referees acknowledged some specific mistakes — including the Pierre Kalulu pull on Jonathan Rowe and a disputed Heggem-Oristanio collision — but said they will refine guidelines rather than reverse the flow-first approach.
- The change aims to speed matches and help Italian teams be more competitive in Europe by judging contact in real time and reserving VAR for clear, obvious errors, though coaches have asked for further clarification on marginal cases.