Serie A referees to announce VAR decisions live in stadiums

Serie A referees will begin announcing VAR decisions live in stadiums and on television starting next season, referee designator Gianluca Rocchi told Italian media on Tuesday.

Rocchi described the move as a significant step forward in communication between referees and the public, saying the aim was to make officiating decisions quicker and clearer.

"We have a select group of officials and we want to ensure the language is as uniform as possible so that decisions can be clear to the public," Rocchi said.

The concept of referees explaining decisions to the crowd has also been explored in countries including England and Germany.

The Serie A season kicks off on 23 August.

From this season, Serie A referees will be able to explain their decisions to the stadium following VAR On-Field Reviews, announced designator Gianluca Rocchi.#VAR #SerieA #Calcio pic.twitter.com/wrFg8Fulsj

— Football Italia (@footballitalia) August 5, 2025