2018 UEFA Champions League Round of 16 to Use VAR
UEFA has confirmed that video assistant referees will be introduced in the UEFA Champions League next year, starting with this season's round of 16.
European football's governing body announced as much on Monday:
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VAR will also be used in the 2019 UEFA Europa League final, the UEFA Nations League finals and the UEFA European Under-21 Championship.
The system has steadily been introduced into domestic football around Europe in recent years and made its first appearance at a major international tournament at the 2018 FIFAWorld Cup.
VAR is now used in each of Europe's top five leagues—La Liga, the Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1—except the Premier League, where it is set to come in next season, as well as Portugal's Primeira Liga and Major League Soccer in the USA.
It has not been without controversy, though.
ESPN's Matteo Bonetti questioned why the system wasn't used in Roma's 2-2 draw with Inter Milan on Sunday:
It hasn't had the smoothest of implementations in the A-League either, according to Fox Sports Australia's Daniel Garb:
Ultimately, the system is still subject to human error and will not eliminate controversy in relation to subjective decisions made by officials.
However, former Premier League referee Howard Webb, who oversaw VAR's introduction into MLS, told BBC Sport that VAR has largely been a success.
According to Webb, in MLS, the system has helped reduce the number of incorrect decisions made and caught more off-the-ball incidents of violent conduct that would have otherwise gone unnoticed by officials.
He also predicted that, over time, it will lead to less simulation as it becomes harder to get away with because of the availability of replays.
With football increasingly accepting its use in recent years, it seemed only a matter of time until Europe's biggest club competition embraced it, too.
Given how much is at stake in the knockout phase of the Champions League, it's vital that significant decisions are made correctly, and VAR should help in that regard.
