UEFA will introduce the use of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology in Champions League from this season’s knock-out stages, its president Aleksander Ceferin said on Monday.
The European football’s governing body had initially opted against rolling out the technology, despite it being in use already in other leagues like Bundesliga, Serie A and La Liga.
The technology was used in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in June, where it received mixed reactions from players and fans.
Ceferin recently hinted at UEFA reviewing its stance not to begin the use of VAR this season.
UEFA also agreed to use the technology in the Europa Leaguefinal and the new Nations League finals to be staged in June.
“To be very straightforward with you, we discussed with our colleagues if we can do it before, why wait because it’s hard to afford any mistakes,” Ceferin said.
UEFA referees chief Roberto Rosetti said UEFA would use the same protocol as other associations but would seek in its guidelines to define the line of intervention clearly.
“We are speaking about consistency, uniformity. The communication is another key part of the project. We have to be very clear and communicate in the best way to the fans, players and coaches,” Rosetti said.
