Refereeing World

The delayed offside flag could almost become a thing of the past after FIFA unveiled new technology to be used at the 2026 World Cup. FIFA will introduce advanced semi-automated offside for video assistant referees (VAR) which should make decisions faster and mean an assistant can raise the flag rather than wait for a move to play out. A real-time audio alert will be sent to the...

Somali international referee Omar Artan has now secured his United States visa, clearing the final administrative hurdle that had placed uncertainty over his participation at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where he is set to make history as the first Somali official appointed to the tournament. The development follows growing concern in recent weeks, as other match officials selected ...

Video assistant referees (VAR) will have new powers to intervene at this summer's World Cup if fouls are committed immediately before the ball is in play at set-pieces, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) has announced. The new measures will allow VAR to step in if a clear foul committed by the attacking team before the ball is in play leads to a direct impact on...

The man tasked with overseeing proceedings in Budapest on Saturday evening is Germany's Daniel Siebert, who is relishing the biggest night of his career so far. The 42-year-old father of two began refereeing as a 14-year-old, making his way through the ranks before joining the list of international referees in 2015. Saturday's final between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal will b...