UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin warned he "could block" the use of video technology in the Champions League and new Nations League after declaring it "too early" for the Laws of the Game to be changed to allow it, according to Ben Rumsby of the London TELEGRAPH. Čeferin claimed the introduction of video assistant referees would cause "more problems" than it solved "unless some of the issues to have dogged the new system were properly addressed." The refusal of the "second most powerful man in football" to back plans to roll out VAR from the World Cup onward came "just days after trials began in competitive matches in England." Chelsea was the victim of a "botched" VAR review last week in its FA Cup win over Norwich City. There have also been "problems elsewhere" during two years of experiments with the technology and the Int'l FA Board "stopped short on Monday of recommending the Laws of the Game be changed in March to include VAR from this summer." Even if it gets the "go ahead," Čeferin revealed UEFA would not "automatically jump on the bandwagon," saying, "We want it to be very clear and now it's not clear. It's far from clear" (TELEGRAPH, 1/23).
VAR DISPLAY: In London, Oliver Todd reported Arsenal tried to "cure some of the confusion" around VAR technology on Wednesday, "with fans being notified of reviews for the first time." The Carabao Cup semifinal second leg against Chelsea was the first game to feature big-screen graphics in the ground, letting supporters know when VAR was being used. The English Football League sent Arsenal Carabao-branded graphics to display on its two screens suspended from the stadium's roof "in the latest step of technology trials" (DAILY MAIL, 1/23).
