Starting with the new season, Serie A referees will publicly announce their VAR decisions live in stadiums and on television, marking a major change in how officiating is communicated to fans.
The announcement was made Tuesday by Gianluca Rocchi, the referee designator for the league, to Italian media.
Rocchi described the move as a significant step toward improving transparency and communication between officials and the public.
The goal, he said, is to make officiating decisions quicker and easier for everyone to understand.
“We have a select group of officials and we want to ensure the language is as uniform as possible so that decisions can be clear to the public,” Rocchi stated.
This initiative follows similar discussions in other major football leagues, including those in England and Germany, which have also explored the concept of referees explaining their decisions to the crowd.
The 2025-2026 Serie A season is scheduled to kick off on August 23. The new policy is expected to be a key talking point as the season gets underway.
