Marelli approves new referee rules: "We will have more playing time and VAR will have more power"

The new rule changes in international football continue to cause debate and Luca Marelli, former referee and current referee analyst at DAZN, gave his opinion on the matter in an interview on Radio CRC. One of the most important innovations is the expansion of the powers of the VAR when deciding on the second yellow card. "From now on it will be possible to correct errors that led to a red card because of a second yellow card," explained Marelli. There should also be the possibility of correcting yellow card mix-ups and, in particularly clear cases, even changing the decision on a corner by immediately notifying the referee. The former referee was positive about the new rules, but expects a lot of controversy: "I like them, but there will be a lot of discussions." The innovations tested at the World Cup, such as the obligation for injured players to stay out of the game for at least a minute and the stricter handling of substitution times, were also approved by Marelli: "This means that much more effective playing time is regained." However, Marelli ruled out the idea that VAR would be allowed to intervene with the first yellow card: "That would be impossible, it would take too much time and you would have to protect the game."