MONACO (AP) - UEFA plans to start using video review to help referees at next year’s Super Cup.
The often-controversial technology is unlikely to be used for this season’s Champions League, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said Friday.
“For now, it doesn’t look as though it will happen,” Ceferin said a day after the Champions League draw.
The Super Cup game between this season’s Champions League and Europa League winners will be played on Aug. 14, 2019, in Istanbul at the home stadium of Besiktas.
UEFA could then use video assistant referees in next season’s Champions League, starting in the playoff round, and the Europa League from 2020.
Ceferin has been a skeptic of the VAR system, promoted strongly by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, but said it worked better than expected at the World Cup in Russia.
“VAR is not completely clear for now, but we also know now there is no way back any more,” the Slovenian official said.
Still, the technology is harder for UEFA with simultaneous games across Europe using different national broadcasters. In Russia, FIFA had a single production team with most games occupying their own time slot.
“We don’t know yet how to do it,” Ceferin said, adding that UEFA’s use of assistant referees beside each goal could also end when VAR is operational.
That system was promoted by former UEFA president Michel Platini to counter FIFA’s introduction of goal-line technology.
“I don’t know what will happen with the fifth referee,” Ceferin said. “Do we need the fifth referee?”
Speaking a day after presenting Champions League winner Luka Modric with his trophy as the best player in Europe last season, Ceferin said UEFA had expected Cristiano Ronaldo to attend the ceremony.
Ronaldo placed second behind his former Real Madrid teammate in the vote.
“A few hours before (the event) we got the information that he is not coming,” Ceferin said. “The rest is a question for Cristiano.”
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