On-field VAR referees to change starting from the new season
La Liga and Segunda División Implement Significant Rule Changes for the 2025-2026 Season
Starting from the next season, the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) has announced a series of rule changes and management adjustments in La Liga and Segunda División, focusing on VAR usage, referee assignments, goal kicks, handballs, and penalties.
1. VAR Management and Usage
The VAR will be employed only for clear and obvious errors and to verify crucial match-changing decisions such as goals, penalties, red cards, and mistaken identity. The final decision authority remains with the on-field referee. In Segunda División, coaches are allowed two VAR challenge requests per match for key situations like goals, penalty decisions, or red cards.
2. Referee and CTA Structural Changes
The CTA has undergone a significant administrative overhaul, with the entire refereeing committee being dissolved. Luis Medina Cantalejo, the head of CTA, and Carlos Clos Gómez, the head of VAR, were removed from their positions, along with other senior officials. Former referee Fran Soto became the new president of the CTA, signaling a shift in leadership style and criteria.
3. Goal Kicks and Handball Interpretations
While specific changes to goal kicks are not exhaustively detailed, the focus on reducing VAR interventions implicitly affects their application—only clear, visible errors concerning goal kicks may be reviewed. Handball rule interpretation remains subject to some debate, and although proposals for penalty and handball VAR changes exist, final implementations emphasize clearer criteria to reduce subjectivity and VAR delays.
4. Penalty Decisions
Penalty decisions continue to be among the key situations subject to VAR review but are restricted to obvious errors to expedite match flow and respect referee discretion. The introduction of coach VAR challenges in Segunda División further influences penalty decision scrutiny, allowing coaches direct involvement in requesting VAR reviews.
Other Key Changes
- If a player's arm is down and not moving towards the ball, it will not be considered a penalty.
- Handballs will be signaled when a player makes themselves bigger by positioning their arms and occupying an unnatural space.
- Referee assignments will now be made 24 hours before each match.
- A grab without intent to play the ball should be penalized as a penalty.
- Repeated infractions of the 8-second goal kick rule by a goalkeeper will result in a yellow card.
- The 8-second goal kick rule will be enforced, and failure to comply will result in a corner kick.
- Only captains will be given explanations by the referee, and any other player protesting will be cautioned with a yellow card.
- The original purpose of the VAR, which is to protect players, should not be forgotten.
In summary, the 2025-26 reforms constitute a significant overhaul emphasizing limited, clear-error-only VAR use, new challenge mechanisms in Segunda, and a broad restructuring of the refereeing administration to restore credibility and improve game flow while maintaining referee authority. Details on goal kicks and nuanced handball interpretations remain aligned with the principle of minimizing VAR overuse and subjectivity.
