UEFA to use VAR in Champions League knockout stage

By Fatih Erel

ISTANBUL

Video Assistant Referees (VAR) will be used in the UEFA Champions League as of Round 16 in February 2019, UEFA announced on Monday.

The UEFA Executive Committee met in Irish capital Dublin on Monday and made a series of decisions on using VAR.

UEFA decided to fast-track the implementation of VAR for the knockout stages of the 2018-19 Champions League "following successful technological testing and the training of referees over the last few months," UEFA said in a statement.

VAR will also be used at the UEFA Europa League Final 2019 and in the UEFA Nations Leagues Finals 2019, it said.

As already decided in September, VAR will also be used in the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League, as of the play-off stage of the competition, and at the 2019 UEFA Super Cup.

"UEFA still plans to subsequently extend the use of VAR at the final tournament of UEFA EURO 2020, in the 2020/21 UEFA Europa League [group-stage onwards], and in the 2021 UEFA Nations League Finals," UEFA said.

In a statement, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said: "We are ready to use VAR earlier than initially planned and we are convinced that it will be beneficial for our competitions as it will provide valuable help to match officials and will allow to reduce incorrect decisions."