UEFA has rolled out a new public platform which aims to give fans clear guidance on when and how VAR decisions are made.
Clearline, a digital explainer guide, gives the public open access to the criteria used by match officials in review. The guide explains all the crucial incidents from VAR as well as tackling offside, penalties and red cards, and situations that lead to attacking phases which result in a goal, plus mistaken identity cases.
It was conceived by UEFA chief of refereeing Roberto Rosetti in the belief it would make the use of technology and refereeing decisions consistent in all of UEFA competitions.
Supporters, players, teams and journalists, among others, will be able to take a look at the UEFA website after each Champions League match to see how controversy occurred, as well as match official examples stored in a video library on the platform. The video library will have examples of referee decisions and explain exactly what went on to reach the verdict.
The system was agreed upon following a meeting between refereeing chiefs from Europe’s biggest five leagues so as to create a universal language of refereeing.
Supporters can now try to understand why some of the bigger controversial incidents that arise during the Champions League result in referee interventions while others carry on as normal.
This will form a growing library, with additional examples given by referees from UEFA competitions in upcoming Champions League games.
UEFA has argued that this new system will enhance faith in refereeing, making officials and their decisions more accessible to everyone involved with the sport.
