VAR is coming to the Champions League next season

Uefa has confirmed that the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) will be used in the Champions League from the 2019/20 season onwards.

VAR will also be used in the 2019 Uefa Super Cup and at Euro 2020.

However, video technology will not be deployed in the Europa League until the 2020/21 campaign or the Uefa Nations League until 2021

VAR is already in use in a number of leagues around the world, such as Serie A, the Bundesliga and, as of the beginning of this season, LaLiga.

Following its successful trial at this summer’s World Cup in Russia, European football’s governing body has decided to roll the technology out to its flagship club competition as of the play-off stage, starting August next year.

“We are confident that introducing Video Assistant Referees in August 2019 will give us enough time to put in place a robust system and to train match officials to ensure an efficient and successful implementation of VAR in the UEFA Champions League, the world’s flagship club competition,” said UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin via a press briefing released on Thursday.

VAR still has a number of high-profile critics, the most recent being Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp, who was left disgruntled on Wednesday after a VAR call went against his side in the Carabao Cup defeat to Chelsea.

“There will be a lot of discussions about VAR, it’s not perfect – offside, the free-kick for the first goal,” Klopp told Sky Sports.

“The player clears the ball and it’s a yellow card as well, the linesman is in a good position and it’s not a free-kick.

“I cannot see it better than the referee but afterwards I think the first goal is offside, perhaps the VAR can see it not the referee.

“But three players are offside, two for sure offside and they block so they have impact.

“[Ross] Barkley – not a lot – but he’s offside, they watched it and didn’t think it was offside so we have to take that.”