KNVB Cup referees will now explain VAR decisions to fans in stadium | OneFootball

Reports from NOS (via De Telegraaf) have revealed that referees will start explaining their decisions involving VAR to the crowd in the KNVB Cup tournament from next week. The football association are introducing this as a trial until the cup final, a spokesperson has confirmed.

The KNVB’s ruling has outlined fifteen matches in which testing is set to take place, with the first looking likely to be the quarter-final between AZ and Ajax next Tuesday.

Following potentially divisive moments or a check with the video assistants, the head official will then inform spectators and TV viewers of what was being analysed. Speaking into their microphones, the referees shall be required to give a “clear, short and powerful explanation” to fans in their respective stadiums.

Such live explanations have been seen in international football, as well as England’s Carabao Cup. However, the protocol remains a first in the Netherlands.

GBeNeFN | Max Bradfield