Benfica-linked UNUM has presented 17 measures to reform Portuguese refereeing, with a push for a separate autonomous structure, faster VAR communication and major technology investment. The proposal is still a plan, not a change already in force, and UNUM says it could take one to three seasons to put in place.

UNUM's 17 measures

The movement's proposal is built around six pillars, independence, professionalisation, transparency and accountability, VAR, criteria and technology, and integrity and clubs. At the centre of it is an autonomous refereeing structure with its own management, budget, accounts and facilities, separate from the Portuguese Football Federation.

UNUM also wants a National Refereeing School for main referees, assistants and VAR, with the stated aim of doubling the recruitment base. On the technology side, the plan includes semi-automated and certified offside in all Liga stadiums, with a cost of six million euros fully covered by the FPF.

Faster VAR communication

UNUM's VAR proposals are just as specific. It wants a preliminary note on error or technical explanation within 24 hours, VAR audio and image shared between 48 and 72 hours, and a full technical response to clubs' complaints by the eve of the next round or within five working days.

The movement is also making a broader point about how refereeing is run. Its line is simple enough to follow, the same body should not appoint, evaluate and classify referees under one roof.

The presentation in Lisbon was the first initiative organised by UNUM, and Benfica's board had already delivered a reform document to the Portuguese Football Federation on 11 September. The club-linked pressure now sits alongside that earlier submission, but the new plan goes much further in spelling out how reform would actually work.

UNUM's timing lands while Benfica are second in the Primeira Liga after 7 matches with 16 points, so the debate is arriving during a strong domestic start rather than from the outside. Their Champions League return has been mixed, with 9 points from 8 matches and a 24th-place standing, which only adds to the sense that the club wants more control over the officiating debate around it.

The key thing to watch now is whether the FPF and the League engage with the two-phase plan UNUM has set out. The movement is asking for a first operational structure, then a statutory and legislative review, and it says the full change could still stretch across one to three seasons.

Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →