The UEFA European Championship in Germany is introducing a new rule aimed at enhancing communication and respect on the field. This year, only team captains will be permitted to speak with referees to explain key officiating decisions.
Roberto Rosetti, UEFA's managing director of referees, emphasized the importance of this change: \"We want strong-personality referees taking and assuming decisions—which can sometimes be unpopular—on the pitch but at the same time, we want them to be more open and explain what led to certain decisions.\"
Rosetti further explained, \"They receive a lot of information from the video assistant referee (VAR), and we are ready to speak and share more details with the players and coaches to help them understand how a decision was taken.\"
In cases where a team's captain is a goalkeeper, an outfield player will be nominated to communicate with the referee. Additionally, captains are responsible for ensuring that their teammates do not approach the referee. Any player who approaches the referee and displays signs of disrespect or dissent will receive a yellow card.
Reference(s):
Only captains can talk to referees over VAR decisions at Euro 2024
cgtn.com
