OFFICIAL: Champions League to use VAR as of 2019-20

The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system will be used in UEFA tournaments including the Champions League from next season, European football's governing body has confirmed.

The decision was made by the UEFA executive committee at a meeting in Nyon, switzerland on Thursday morning.

The system has already begun to creep into use across Europe and was deployed at this summer's World Cup in Russia.

It allows referees to review footage of key decisions in order to make sure that the correct course of action is taken.

It is only used in the event of game-changing decisions, including: goals, penalties, direct red cards and cases of mistaken identity.

There was talk of VAR being used this season in the Champions League, but concerns about how to implement it on busy Group Stage nights put paid to that plan.

Now, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin says he is confident European football's governing body will have time to put an effective plan in place.

"We're confident that introducing VAR in August 2019 will give us enough time to put in place a robust system & to train match officials to ensure an efficient, successful implementation of VAR in the UEFA Champions League, the world’s flagship club competition," he explained.

Other tournaments that will also see VAR introduced include, the 2019 UEFA Super Cup, the 2020 European Championships, the 2020/2021 UEFA Nations League finals and the 2020/21 Europa League.

 

September 27, 2018