Portuguese fans to be allowed access to VAR images
A Portuguese TV network wants to give fans at home access to footage from the Video Assistant Referee, in an attempt to improve the public's understanding of how the decisions are made.
The channel, called 'SPORT TV', plans to broadcast the VAR system's footage at the end of each round of games in the Portugeuse league.
'Juizo Final', which translates to 'final decision' will be a TV segment in which viewers will be given access to images of key moments, such as goals and penalties, from the weekend of Primiera Liga games. The all-angles footage will be analysed by a team of referees and pundits, with the aim of helping the general public understand how the system makes refereeing decisions.
Unlike in England, where VAR is in a phase of testing in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, in Portugal VAR has been introduced in the domestic league. The system, which has overturned 35 decisions so far this season in the Primiera Liga, has caused some confusion amongst Portugeuse viewers, something 'SPORT TV' CEO Nuno Ferreira Pires hopes to alleviate. He stated:
"SPORT TV wanted to clearly show its contribution to this system and the sport, becoming the first television station in the world to invest in this technology and to allow the fans to form a more sustained opinion, based on facts, always keeping in mind the official rules of football that lead to the final decisions. The VAR is a huge step for the sector of sports, and, in particular, football, and SPORT TV is proud to innovate in an area of unequivocal strategic interest."