The official process
Under the IFAB VAR protocol, VAR use is limited to specified match-changing incidents: goal or no goal, penalty or no penalty, direct red card, and mistaken identity. The VAR checks the incident, a review may follow, and the referee makes the final decision.
| Match phase | Evidence status | Reader response |
|---|---|---|
| Incident occurs | Outcome not yet final | Timestamp observation; do not infer settlement |
| Check underway | VAR examines relevant footage | Mark review state as unresolved |
| On-field review or factual advice | Referee receives information | Preserve suspension and price status |
| Final decision | Referee confirms or changes decision | Update match state from the authoritative result |
| Restart | Play continues under the decision | Reconcile subsequent market state |
Market suspension is not the final decision
A sportsbook or exchange can suspend around an incident, but a suspension does not prove that a goal, penalty or red card will stand. Betfair's football rules provide one operator example of in-play football market management and settlement. Other operators can use different acceptance and void provisions.
Preserve a five-timestamp record
- Incident visible on the chosen source.
- Market suspension observed.
- Review or check status observed.
- Referee's final decision recorded.
- Market reopening and any accepted ticket recorded.
Use UTC plus the match clock, and name the source for each timestamp. The Gambling Commission's in-play standard warns that live information may be delayed and that other participants may have more current information.
Worked incident ledger
| Time | Match view | Market state | Betting record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62:14 | Ball enters goal | Suspended | No accepted instruction assumed |
| 62:45 | Check indicated | Suspended | Incident remains unresolved |
| 64:02 | Goal disallowed | Suspended | Score returns to prior state |
| 64:28 | Play restarts | Open | New displayed quote recorded |
| 64:35 | Receipt issued | Open | Accepted price and contract saved |
The times are invented. Their purpose is to prevent a later analyst from joining the 64:35 price to the original apparent goal state.
Acceptance and settlement
Betfair's sportsbook rules and DraftKings' soccer rules illustrate that accepted fixed-odds tickets, event timing, official results, abandoned matches and product-specific settlement are governed by published terms. Preserve the exact rule version and receipt before disputing or modelling a result.
Research protocol
- Label check, review, final decision and restart separately.
- Keep disallowed and confirmed incidents in the dataset.
- Do not backfill the final decision into earlier live features.
- Mark suspended intervals as unavailable.
- Evaluate accepted prices, not a stale pre-incident display.
- Report feed latency and missing review indicators.
Continue with How Football Odds Move During a Match to decompose the price path without assigning an undocumented cause.
Continue learning
- Next guide: In-Play Corners and Cards
- Related guide: In-Play Football Markets
Assumptions and limitations
The ledger is illustrative. Competition implementation, broadcast graphics, data feeds, operator suspensions and betting rules vary. The IFAB protocol defines officiating; it does not dictate every operator's acceptance or settlement treatment.
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