Paris Saint-Germain President Nasser Al-Khelaifi (standing with Neymar) recently advocated for VAR after blaming referee error for his team’s draw against Napoli. (Photo by Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images)
Video Assistant Referees (VAR) could be used by the Champions League as soon as this year, according to a joint press conference between UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin and European Club Association Chairman Andrea Agnelli in Brussels this week.
The executives suggested that UEFA might adopt VAR ahead of its previous timeline. European soccer’s governing body previously announced plans to use VAR in the 2019-20 season.
Ceferin said he’s awaiting a final technical report on the technology and referee readiness from UEFA’s chief refereeing officer, Roberto Rosetti, and will see then when it can be implemented across the league.
“We started to do all the preparations,” said Ceferin.
Agnelli, who also serves as chairman of Serie A champions Juventus, said “latest next season” implies there’s space for earlier implementation, possibly as early as this season.
Soccer leagues throughout Europe have started to use VAR. Spain’s La Liga began using the technology after the 2018 World Cup. Serie A, the Bundesliga, Ligue 1, the A-League, and MLS also use video assistants. The Premier League plans to adopt VAR alongside its Goal Decision System next season.
SportTechie Takeaway
VAR was introduced to the world stage at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. The technology, which helped to improve referee calls during the month-long tournament, has since been adopted more widely. Some in UEFA have criticized the governing body for not adopting VAR more quickly. Earlier this month, Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi blamed referees and what he viewed as their string of errors for his team’s 1-1 draw rather than win against Napoli. The comments this week imply that the Champions League may adopt VAR sooner rather than later.
