European football’s governing body Uefa has said that Video assistant referees (VAR) could be introduced to the Champions League and Europa League this season.
Uefa originally opted against using VAR this season despite it being used by most major European leagues and Fifa at the World Cup in Russia.
Speaking at a joint Uefa and ECA press conference in Brussels on Tuesday, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said the organisation’s refereeing chief Roberto Rosetti has been leading efforts to make sure Uefa’s pool of referees are ready for VAR and all “technical aspects” have been addressed.
“I expect the report in a week or so and then we will see when we can implement it – (at) the latest, next season,” said Ceferin.
With the Premier League agreeing last week to introduce VAR from next season, Uefa is the last major competition organiser in world football to allow referees to use video replays to make better decisions.
It has previously been suggested that Uefa may try to roll out VAR for the Champions League’s quarter-finals, which start on April 9, although the clubs are keen to introduce the system as soon as possible, which could be the first knockout round starting on February 12.
The Europa League’s 32-team knockout round starts on February 14, with the first leg of the quarter-finals on April 11.
