Champions League: UEFA president speaks on introduction of VAR

UEFA president, Aleksander Ceferin, has said he is still “not convinced” by Video Assistant Referees (VAR) and rejected claims the technology will be implemented in the Champions League.

There were reports that UEFA would consider the introduction of VAR after the quarter-final stages.

Ceferin has rejected this idea and insisted not enough people understand how it works. He however concedes that UEFA would one day have to introduce VAR.

“I don’t know where it came from, but we haven’t talked about it and I’m still not convinced about VAR,” he told Ekipa, when asked about the reports VAR could be used in the Champions League.

“There are still things that need clearing up.

“Who decides whether to see the VAR? The video referee or the main one? The fans don’t understand it, neither do the journalists.

“What things do the referees see and what don’t they see? Things are still unclear, but we know that one day it’ll be necessary to use it.”

Ceferin also reiterated claims he made in April that he felt the Champions League was “not ready” for the technology.

“I told Roberto Rosetti: ‘When we’re ready,'” he added. “We’ll have to adopt it one day because we’re playing all over Europe and the Champions League isn’t just a tournament.

“We also need regulation. Look at the World Cup assistants who did nothing, other than just wait around.

“One referee told me: ‘When there was a big incident, I put a finger to my ear and everyone left me alone.’

“Look at the case of Serbia, who weren’t given a very clear penalty against Switzerland yet others did for much less.”