January 24 – UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin says the move towards introducing video technology is premature and could prove counter-productive if problems with the system are not ironed out.
Ceferin’s opposite number at FIFA, Gianni Infantino, is leading the drive towards video assistant referees (VARs) being used at the World Cup in Russia and last week the game’s lawmakers, the International FA Board, gave a cautious thumbs-up to the idea, which has been trialled in various leagues, being globally implemented.
A firm decision one way or the other will be made in early March but Ceferin isn’t convinced.
“We want it to be very clear and now it’s not clear. It’s far from clear,” he told Britain’s Daily Telegraph.
“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.
“If we start educating the referees and all the persons involved in that, we will adopt it when we are sure that they understand the meaning of it.”
“If it’s not clear, we will have more problems than without it.”
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