Chief of Italian referees Marcello Nicchi is sure the new VAR system will be welcomed by officials in Serie A this season. “Tests have been encouraging.”
The use of video replays viewed by two match directors in the stands has been adopted in several international tournaments, including the Under-20 World Cup and Under-21 European Championship.
It will be used in Serie A from the start of the 2017-18 season, following on from goal-line technology.
Chief of Italian referees Marcello Nicchi is sure the new VAR system will be welcomed by officials in Serie A this season. “Tests have been encouraging.”
The use of video replays viewed by two match directors in the stands has been adopted in several international tournaments, including the Under-20 World Cup and Under-21 European Championship.
It will be used in Serie A from the start of the 2017-18 season, following on from goal-line technology.
“The world of referees is ready for this new adventure,” Nicchi told Ansa news agency.
Nicchi is the President of the Italian referees’ assosication.
“With VAR, not all errors will be eliminated and there could certainly be a few hiccups during the experimental phase, but we hope to reduce those to almost sero.”
The use of VAR in the Confederations Cup caused a great deal of controversy, as Chile were denied a clear penalty against Portugal in the semi-final.
“The referee at the monitor must intervene for clear incidents. In case of a clear and blatant error, he can intervene and correct. We are aiming for minimal interference, but maximum benefit.
“The officials at the monitor will only intervene on goals, penalties, sendings off (just a straight red) and mistaken identity. The referee will continue to be the one who decides on the pitch, but can change his decision on clear cases.
“We’ll only speak to the referee on the field in case of certain errors and clear situations.”