Israeli Football Referees Introduce New Rules to Speed Up Play and Expand VAR Use

Ahead of the 2026/27 football season, Ziv Adler, head of the refereeing department in the Israeli Football Association, detailed key changes aimed at accelerating matches and improving officiating accuracy. These reforms include stricter rules on substitutions, injury management, and time-wasting. Substituting players must now exit from the nearest point within 10 seconds unless injured, and returning players can only re-enter after a one-minute stoppage. Injury treatments will be limited, requiring injured players to leave the field for at least a minute unless a foul card was issued. Additionally, referees will enforce a five-second limit on throw-ins and goal kicks, after which the ball is awarded as a corner kick.

The use of VAR (Video Assistant Referee) has been expanded to allow quicker corrections, such as overturning wrongful second yellow cards or incorrect corner kick decisions within 10 seconds. VAR officials can also intervene for fouls occurring before set pieces if they affect scoring chances or defensive actions. Transparency with teams has improved, with clubs able to request and review video clips explaining refereeing decisions.

Adler also addressed disciplinary measures for bench misconduct, emphasizing that team officials must not interfere from the sidelines, citing the chaotic behavior during the recent State Cup final as an example. He outlined changes in the referee roster, promoting younger referees and reallocating experienced ones to VAR roles to enhance overall officiating quality.

Regarding match interruptions due to flares, referees are instructed to continue play if possible, stopping only when smoke obstructs camera views essential for VAR. Adler defined a successful season by reducing critical errors and increasing effective playing time beyond 58 minutes per match. These reforms reflect a concerted effort to improve the flow and fairness of Israeli football matches.