VAR fast-tracked into Champions League knockout stage

Dom Farrell

VAR fast-tracked into Champions League knockout stage image

Video Assistant Referees (VAR) will be used from the last 16 of this season's Champions League, UEFA has confirmed.

European football's governing body had already committed to using VAR in its competitions from 2019-20 onwards.

But last month, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin and European Club Association chairman Andrea Agnelli revealed there was scope to bring it in earlier.

This move was confirmed at the Nations League Finals draw in Dublin on Monday, with all forthcoming knockout matches in UEFA's flagship club competition to benefit from VAR.

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Alongside the Champions League rollout, VAR will also be used in this season's Europa League final – but not, it seems, in the knockout rounds – as well as the Nations League Finals 2019 and next year's European Under-21 Championship.

"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," Ceferin said.

VAR featured at the 2018 World Cup following a trial at FIFA competitions, including the 2017 Confederations Cup, and is increasingly present across football's major domestic leagues.

LaLiga, the Bundesliga and Ligue 1 introduced it for this season, joining Serie A, the A-League and MLS in using video assistants.

The Premier League will introduce VAR alongside its Goal Decision System from 2019-20.

Dom Farrell

Dom Farrell Photo

Dom is the senior content producer for Sporting News UK. He previously worked as fan brands editor for Manchester City at Reach Plc. Prior to that, he built more than a decade of experience in the sports journalism industry, primarily for the Stats Perform and Press Association news agencies. Dom has covered major football events on location, including the entirety of Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup in Paris and St Petersburg respectively, along with numerous high-profile Premier League, Champions League and England international matches. Cricket and boxing are his other major sporting passions and he has covered the likes of Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, Wladimir Klitschko, Gennadiy Golovkin and Vasyl Lomachenko live from ringside.