The International Football Association Board (IFAB) is set to discuss expanding VAR’s remit to include second yellow card reviews, a move accelerated by the controversial dismissal of Pierre Kalulu in Saturday’s Inter-Juventus clash.
Football’s rule-making body, IFAB, is under increasing pressure to overhaul video review protocols following a refereeing blunder that overshadowed Inter Milan’s 3-2 victory over Juventus.
Defender Pierre Kalulu was sent off for a second yellow card despite replays showing Alessandro Bastoni had simulated contact.
Currently, VAR is restricted to reviewing direct red cards, meaning officials were powerless to correct the “absurd” decision.
Reports indicate that IFAB will formally address this loophole at its Annual General Meeting in Cardiff on February 28.
Beyond the “Kalulu Rule,” the upcoming assembly is expected to finalize a suite of changes aimed at streamlining the sport for the 2026 World Cup in North America.
Proposals include allowing VAR to correct wrongly awarded corner kicks and implementing strict “countdown” limits—likely eight to ten seconds—for throw-ins and goal kicks to eliminate time-wasting.
If ratified, these “specific extensions” of the VAR system would represent the most significant update to officiating technology since its global introduction.
The 2026 World Cup is viewed as the ideal stage to debut these reforms to ensure high-stakes matches are not decided by factual errors.
FIFA’s refereeing chairman Pierluigi Collina has been a vocal supporter of expanding technology to cover corners, provided it does not disrupt the game’s flow.
With the annual assembly just weeks away, the football world awaits a vote that could fundamentally change how dismissals and set pieces are managed on the world’s biggest stage.