Champions League will not use VAR, reveals Uefa

Video technology will not be used in the Champions League next season, the president of Uefa confirmed yesterday. Aleksander Ceferin also cast doubt on whether the laws of the game would be changed on Saturday to permit the video-assistant-referee system to be rolled out worldwide.

The second-most powerful man in football said he had been invited to attend this weekend’s annual general meeting of the International Football Association Board, which had previously been expected to vote to allow VAR to be used throughout the professional game despite problems during two years of tests.

“I don’t think they will make it a rule but they will allow everybody to test it,” Ceferin said following yesterday’s Uefa congress in Bratislava. “I think that it will be probably used at the World Cup. We will not use it from the next season in the Champions League.

“But I’m not against it. I think there’s no way back any more. But we have to educate the referees properly. Nobody knows how it works, which might be a big problem. So, let’s see what happens at the World Cup and then decide.”

Ceferin’s announcement follows an exclusive interview with The Daily Telegraph last month in which he threatened to block the use of VAR in the Champions League and new Nations League.

“We shouldn’t rush into decisions that are not clear. I see a lot of confusion. But that doesn’t mean that I’m against it or that I don’t think it will happen,” he added.

Meanwhile, at the Uefa congress, Jersey were denied membership of the confederation following a vote of existing member associations.