Julius Okorie
With just 24 hours to the kick-off of the 17th edition of Euro Championship, in Germany, UEFA says it will give fans a comprehensive lecture on video-assisted refereeing (VAR).
Head of UEFA’s Refereeing Committee, Roberto Rosetti, stated that stadium screens across Germany would provide “technical explanations” of VAR calls to improve spectator understanding.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelOne of the main criticisms of VAR technology, has been the difficulty match-going fans face in comprehending the reasons behind certain decisions.
“After the video assistance, the technical explanation of the decision will be shown on the giant screens in the stadiums,” Rosetti explained at a press briefing, at the Allianz Arena, ahead of the tournament opener on Friday.
He offered an example of the information that fans will see after a VAR call: “Penalty, handball, Germany’s number nine touched the ball with his left hand, which was in an unnatural position, over his shoulder and extending away from his body.”
At the 2023 Women’s World Cup, officials began announcing decisions to spectators verbally before restarting play. Rosetti mentioned that referees at Euro 2024, will also be able to give explanations to the team captains.
However, other players who challenge decisions or demand information will be cautioned. This rule was enforced in all three UEFA club competition finals, resulting in yellow cards for such infractions in the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League finals.
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“We do this for the next generations… for football and the image of the game, for the young players and for the young referees,” said Rosetti.
For teams with goalkeepers as captains, such as Italy and Slovenia, an outfield player will be designated before the match to act as the captain for these explanations.
This year’s Euro Championship kicks off tomorrow (Friday), with hosts Germany taking on Scotland in the opener. Germany have won the Championship three times, 1972 and 1980 as West Germany and 1996 as United Germany. They were runners up in 2008 after losing to Spain by a lone goal.
Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.
