UEFA: VAR technology to be introduced six months earlier than expected in the Champions League

The UEFA Executive Committee decided to introduce Video Assistant Referees (VAR) in the Champions League from the knockout stages of 2018-19 (first games on 12/02 to 13/03/2019), announces the European confederation on 03/12/2018.

This decision contradicts that taken by UEFA two months earlier: "The UEFA Executive Committee met this morning and decided to introduce Video Assistant Referees (VAR) in the 2019-20 UEFA Champions League, as of the play-off stage of the competition (August 2019)," UEFA had announced on 27/09/2018.

"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," said Aleksander Ceferin president of UEFA, on 03/12/2018," explained Aleksander Ceferin, UEFA president, to justify this change as of the 03/12/2018.

Among the Top 5 European leagues, the Premier League remains the only one not to use VAR, but announced on 15/11/2018 that it will use this technology in 2019-20.
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