Ceferin: VAR won't be used in Champions League next season

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin confirmed that Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology will not be implemented for the 2018-19 Champions League campaign, but said he isn’t opposed to using the technology in the future.

Speaking to reporters following a UEFA meeting in Bratislava, Slovakia on Monday, Ceferin also revealed his doubts that VAR will be rolled out globally without many more tests being conducted beforehand.

“I think that (VAR) will be probably used at the World Cup,” Ceferin said, as quoted by Ben Rumsby of the Telegraph. “We will not use it from the next season in the Champions League. I can tell you that. But I’m absolutely not against it. I think there’s no way back anymore. But we have to educate the referees properly.

“Nobody exactly knows how it works, which might be a big problem. So, let’s see what happens at the World Cup and then we will decide.”

Ceferin previously pondered blocking the use of VAR in the Champions League while the technology is in its formative days, telling the Telegraph in January: “You have referees that do not understand it correctly; the fans don’t understand it correctly. So, in my opinion, it’s too early to make it a rule.”

He reaffirmed that position Monday, stating: “We shouldn’t rush into decisions that are not clear. For me, I see a lot of confusion from time to time. But that doesn’t mean that I’m against it or that I don’t think it will happen.”

The use of VAR was particularly controversial during Manchester United’s FA Cup tilt with Huddersfield Town two weeks ago. The replay showed uneven lines that seemed to wrongly place Juan Mata in an offside position for his goal, which was ruled out.

Hawk-Eye, the company behind VAR, later issued an apology for the incident.

VAR is currently being used and trialed in Major League Soccer, the German Bundesliga, and Italy’s Serie A, among other competitions across Europe.