UEFA has announced they will use VAR (Video assistant Referees) in the Champions League from next season.
VAR was successfully implemented in the 2018 World Cup although there were a number of controversial incidents in Russia. The technology is currently being used widely across the big leagues in Europe including the La Liga, Bundesliga and the Serie-A but Premier League hasn’t been able to introduce as the system is still undergoing trials.
VAR helps the match officials in reviewing key decisions and rectifying their mistakes. It will be used from the playoff stages in the Champions League while in Europa League referees would be able to use it in the group stage.
Alongside these tournaments, UEFA is also planning to introduce it in the 2019 UEFA Super Cup in Istanbul, UEFA Euro 2020 and the 2021 UEFA Nations League Finals.
UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin said: “We are confident that introducing Video Assistant Referees in August 2019 will give us enough time to put in place a robust system and to train match officials to ensure an efficient and successful implementation of VAR in the UEFA Champions League, the world’s flagship club competition.”
