When can a referee changes his decision?

A referee can change their decision if they realize they have made an error, if new information comes to light that affects the decision, or if they are advised to do so by another official or the governing body of the sport. Referees are encouraged to make the correct decision based on the rules and guidelines of the sport, and are expected to be open to changing their decision if necessary.

A referee can change his decision in the following situations:

- Video Assistant Referee (VAR): If a VAR review shows that the referee made a clear and obvious error in his initial decision, the referee can change it.
- Serious foul play: If the referee believes that a player has committed a serious foul play (e.g., violent conduct, spitting) that was not initially spotted, the referee can change their decision and issue a card or send off.
- Mistaken identity: If the referee mistakenly gives a yellow card to the wrong player, they can change their decision and give it to the correct player.
- Assistant referee's signal: If the assistant referee signals for offside or a penalty that the referee does not initially see, the referee can change their decision based on the assistant's information.
- Obvious error: If the referee makes an obvious mistake, such as awarding a goal that was clearly not crossed the line, they can change their decision.
- Communication error: If the referee and their assistants/VAR team make a communication error that leads to an incorrect decision, the referee can change it.
- Exceptional circumstances: In very rare cases, if there are exceptional circumstances beyond the control of the referee that prevent them from making a fair and accurate decision, they can change it.