UEFA agrees to use VAR in this season’s Champions League knockout rounds from February

UEFA agrees to use VAR in this season’s Champions League knockout rounds from February
UEFA has confirmed that video assistant referees will be used in the Champions League knockout stages this season but it will be done with a twist from European football’s governing body.VAR has been in use in some countries since 2016 after world football’s rule-making body IFAB first approved guidelinesfor the use of video replays and started a two-year pilot scheme.3

VAR was also used at the 2018 World Cup and played a big part in the tournament’s final

Once that was completed, world football’s governing body FIFA decided to use VAR at this summer’s World Cup in Russia, where it was widely considered to be a success.UEFA, however, initially decided to wait for at least another season before rolling out the system in its competitions – a stance shared by the Premier League.

---

Charlie Austin’s sensational ‘Parklife’ rant calling for VAR to be used in the Premier League

---

But at a meeting of its executive committee in Dublin on Monday that approach was ditched and it was confirmed that VAR will also be used in the 2019 Europa League final and next summer’s European Under-21 Championship and Nations League Finals, which both feature England.3

England will have the benefit of VAR when they take part in the Nations League finals next summer

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.”Looking further ahead, VAR will be used in all Champions League games, from the play-off stage onward, next season and at the 2019 UEFA Super Cup. UEFA is also still planning to use VAR at Euro 2020, the 2021 Nations Leagues and from the group stages of the 2020/21 Europa League.How UEFA will use VAR, however, will be revealed in January but it is clear the confederation believes the process can be improved.Asked by reporters if this meant UEFA’s VAR would be a variation on the system used at the World Cup, Ceferin said: “Not a variation, a clarification. “Our opinion is that it was not clarified enough before: fans didn’t know what was happening, players didn’t know, we didn’t know.“So we have discussed it with our experts and if we can do it earlier (than originally planned) to avoid mistakes, why wait?”UEFA’s chief refereeing officer Roberto Rosetti explained that the European idea would still be based on the protocol established earlier this year by IFAB but he said it would be influenced by “internal guidelines, too”.3

The definition of a clear and obvious mistake was a source of confusion at times when VAR was being used at the World Cup

Rosetti added: “The main concept of the IFAB protocol is the idea of a crucial, clear and obvious mistake. This is the main point. We want consistency and uniformity and our target is to define the line of intervention.”Europe’s leading clubs and leagues have already said they wanted UEFA to introduce VAR as soon as possible but there concerns remain that some of the smaller leagues and member associations might not be ready, which explains why the full roll-out in UEFA’s club and international competitions is still some way off.

---

Why Peterborough were right to bring Darren Ferguson back by Gabriel Sutton / 29 January 2019, 11:47 Tweet. Darren Ferguson has been appointed Peterborough United boss for the third time on Saturday evening, after Steve Evans was dismissed.
Peterborough United confirm Darren Ferguson as manager on a

---

Chelsea vs Man United player ratings: Paul Pogba stars yet again but which Blues player flopped most? Chelsea 0-2 Man Utd: Paul Pogba stars in cruise to FA Cup
Chelsea news: 'What is Sarri-ball?' Gordon Strachan baffled

---

Tottenham's injury nightmare is good news for Arsenal, says David Seaman on talkSPORT Former goalkeeper is hoping the Gunners catch up with Spurs now Harry Kane and Dele Alli have been ruled out
Arsenal.com - Homepage

---

Manchester City 3-1 Arsenal: Sergio Aguero fires Citizens to

---

Liverpool FC has released the following ticket details for the Champions League final to be played at Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid on Saturday June 1. The game will kick off at 9pm local time. Ticket allocation and prices The club has received an allocation of 16,613 tickets for this all-ticket
UEFA Champions League Final live screening - ticketing

---

Swedish Legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been hit with a 2-match ban for grabbing New York City FC's goalkeeper Sean Johnson by the neck during his side's (Los Angeles Galaxy) last week. According to a statement by the MLS Disciplinary Committee, the former Manchester United Star was sanctioned for violent conduct after losing his temper in […]
Ibrahimovic Banned For Grabbing Goalkeeper Sean Johnson's

---

Tottenham Hotspur activate option to extend Jan Vertonghen's

---

Espanyol look to have pulled off the steal of the January transfer window with the Euro2 million (US$2.26 million) deal for China striker Wu Lei, if the mind-boggling marketing numbers surrounding his debut are any indication. Wu came off the bench to play just 12 minutes of Espanyol's 2-2 draw away to Villarreal in Spain's top flight La Liga
Wu Lei - China's Maradona, or soccer's Yao Ming? Espanyol's

---

West Ham vs Burnley TV channel and live stream information. Due to the UK 3pm black out rules, Newcastle United vs West Ham is not on TV. Follow all the live updates from St. James' Park here. Keep up to date with the latest news, features and exclusives from football.london via the free football.london app for iPhone and Android.

---

Rangers target Jermain Defoe 'raring to go' as he prepares to undergo medical ahead of Ibrox move The Bournemouth striker is set to sign a 18-month loan deal and is excited at the prospect of

---

West Ham United academy coach cleared to return after attending Democratic Football Lads Alliance march The Hammers' inquiry found there was insufficient grounds to sacked Under-18s coach Mark
West Ham reinstate academy coach suspended over attending march

---

Transfer news, rumours LIVE: Arsenal, Man Utd, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham latest… today's football gossip We'll bring you today's football gossip and the latest from Arsenal, Man Utd
Transfer news, rumours LIVE: Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool

---

If the Blues are unable to bring in new faces, then it will be more important than ever to keep a hold of their key players, especially having lost Eden Hazard to Real Madrid. With just one year remaining on his contract, Chelsea had a decision to make over the Belgian's future, do they take the £88million rising to £130million on offer or
Alonso, Barkley, Hazard, Morata - Chelsea predicted starting

---

Manchester United and Manchester City will renew their fabled rivalry at Old Trafford on Wednesday, with some huge stakes at play. vs Manchester City Preview: Probable Lineups, Prediction
Predicted Lineup - Manchester City Vs Manchester United

---