All refereeing decisions made with the help of video referees (VAR) will be explained in real time on the field and to spectators during the UEFA Euro 2024 in Germany (June 14 – July 14), the Italian head of the UEFA Referees Committee, Roberto Rosetti, announced on Wednesday.
Rosetti said during a press conference to present the arbitration system decided at the continental tournament, that all situations involving the intervention of the video assistant referee will be broadcast on the field.
He added, “After the video assistance, the technical explanation of the decision will be broadcast on the giant screens of the stadiums,” explaining, “For example: a penalty kick, due to a handball.” Player No. 9 from Germany touched the ball with his left hand, which was in an unnatural position, over his shoulder and extended his body.”
The technical announcement itself will be available to the match commentators so they can explain it to viewers.
During the 2023 Women’s World Cup, referees announced their decisions to the public in spoken words before play resumed.
Rosetti continued: “I think that the video assistant referee is a wonderful tool and that we will not go back,” explaining that the goal is “to reduce the number of video assistant referee interventions, but if there is a clear picture that can prove a clear error, we can thank the video assistant referee.”
On the other hand, Rosetti reiterated that the only dialogue allowed to explain decisions will be between the referee and the captain of the team.
Any player who challenges a decision or requests an explanation will be punished with a yellow card.
This law was applied in the final matches of the three continental competitions, with two yellow cards in the Champions League final, the same in the Europa League final, and one yellow card in the Conference League final.
He added, “We are doing this for the sake of future generations. We are not doing this for the sake of the referees, but for the sake of football and the image of play, for the sake of young players and young referees,” calling on the players to avoid any protest and let the captain discuss with the referee.
For the teams whose captain the goalkeeper holds (Italy and Slovenia), a player will be appointed before the match to represent the goalkeeper during the match.
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