What changes are coming to VAR in La Liga?
Javier Tebas has called for improvements.
Referee Cesar Soto checks the VAR during the Spanish league football match between Real Madrid CF and FC Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on October 26 , 2025. (Photo by JAVIER SORIANO / AFP) (Photo by JAVIER SORIANO/AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images Spanish football has reached a boiling point where even the technology meant to fix mistakes is being labeled a failure. Following a chaotic 3-3 draw between Rayo Vallecano and Real Sociedad that left everyone from the stands to the dugouts fuming, a major overhaul of the VAR system is now on the horizon for next season.
Part of the problem is the wait itself. The promise of VAR was that it would correct mistakes made by the ref in a timely fashion. Both the “correct” and “timely” components were important.
As such, VAR was supposed to intervene when the mistake was “clear and obvious,” meaning borderline calls were left as-is. This hasn’t always been the case in practice. Rayo manager Iñigo Pérez didn’t hold back after Sunday’s drama, arguing that “if a play needs several minutes to be decided, it can hardly be considered an obvious error.
” He floated the idea of a one-minute time limit to keep the game moving, a sentiment echoed by Elche’s Eder Sarabia. Sarabia noted that while the tool itself is “wonderful,” the current habit of spending four or five minutes staring at a screen is a clear misuse of the technology. Yesterday, La Liga President Javier Tebas admitted that “something is not working” and suggested it’s time to “take the bull by the horns.