VAR calls to be explained on stadium screens and to TV viewers at Euro 2024

VAR decisions will be explained in more detail at Euro 2024 to provide greater clarity to fans and media, UEFA has announced.

Technical explanations of off-field verdicts will be shown on big screens inside stadiums and will be given to broadcasters to outline as quickly as possible the rationale behind each decision.

For instance, rather than showing that a penalty was awarded for a handball, the explanation will detail which player, which arm, and why that player’s positioning justifies the VAR’s conclusion.

The shift to a more transparent process was outlined on Wednesday in Munich by UEFA managing director for refereeing Roberto Rosetti.

He said the presentation he gave to the media was also shown to players and coaches to ensure everyone was on the same page ahead of the tournament, which starts on Friday.

As was previously announced, UEFA is also introducing “connected ball technology” for the first time at a European Championship, with tech inside match balls that will send precise data to video match officials in real time.

The technology, which also combines player position data with AI and contributes to UEFA’s semi-automated offside technology, was used at both the men’s World Cup in 2022 and the women’s edition last summer.

Organisers feel the innovation, which can help VAR officials identify every individual touch of the ball, speeds up decision-making when it comes to resolving handball and penalty incidents.

It pinpoints the exact moment the ball is touched, and therefore can also help determine if the ball has touched a player’s arm or hand.

The public will also be able to see a visual representation of this technology at work during replays.

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