September 28 – UEFA have taken the plunge and will introduce video assistant referees (VAR) in the Champions League from the 2019-20 season.
As well as being brought in from the play-off stage of European club football’s premier competition, VAR will also be used in the 2020 European Championship, next year’s UEFA Super Cup and in the Europa League from the 2020-21 season.
In addition, it will be used in the finals of the new Nations League competition from 2021.
The decision follows the successful introduction of VAR at this summer’s world cup in Russia. At first sceptical about its efficacity, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has finally cast off his doubts about the system.
“We’re confident that introducing VAR in August 2019 will give us enough time to put in place a robust system and to train match officials to ensure an efficient, successful implementation of VAR in the UEFA Champions League, the world’s flagship club competition,” he said.
Meanwhile UEFA announced that the draw for the Euro 2020 qualifiers will take place in Dublin on December 2 with 10 groups of five or six teams, with the remaining four contenders emerging from the Nations League play-offs.
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