Uefa’s executive committee today decided that the experiment with additional assistant referees will be implemented in the upcoming season of the Champions League and all the qualification matches for the 2012 European Championship. The experiment will also continue in the Europa League.
Champions League will see the additional assistants in the last qualifying phase as well as the group stage and final stages of the main tournament. In Europa League it will be from the group stage. The two extra officials will also be used in all qualifying matches to the Euro 2010, as well as the final tournament. The Super Cup match between Inter and Atletico Madrid will also get the extra manpower.
This is the first major change to the referee structure in a continental tournament since the introduction of the fourth official in the 1994 World Cup.
The experiment is a pet project of Uefa president Michel Platini and last season Uefa trialled it in the Europa League. In the last meeting of the Ifab, the experiment was extended for another two years, with each football association getting the option to implement it.
The additional assistant referees are positioned on the far side of each assistant referee, next to the goal. They communicate with the referee through microphone and they are also equipped with buzzers, similar to what the assistant referees use on their flags.
{ 1 comment }
