Italy to follow England and Germany by trialing in-stadium announcements for VAR calls

MILAN (AP) — The Italian league will offer more transparency over video review decisions, including limited in-stadium announcements of the referee’s conversations with the VAR.

The league’s governing body announced on Monday that it would trial the system in the remaining matches of the Italian Cup, limiting it to the explanation of the decisions taken by the referee after reviewing incidents on a sideline monitor.

It will be the first time such a system is used in Italian soccer although it has already been trialed in England and Germany.

Inter Milan faces city rival AC Milan and Bologna plays Empoli next month in the semifinals, which are held over two legs. The final is on May 14.

Lega Serie A CEO Luigi De Siervo said the aim is “to make the measures taken increasingly transparent and understandable for the players, team managers and all the stakeholders involved, including the public in the stands and viewers.”

Soccer is a relative latecomer to announcements which are widely used in other team sports.

NFL referees were given wireless microphones in 1975 to explain penalty decisions. Major League Baseball began in-park announcements during replay reviews in 2022 and microphones have long-been used by rugby referees.

In-stadium soccer announcements were in place at the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in 2023 and other FIFA events.

The Italian league will also display VAR graphics — already used in television broadcasts — on giant screens in stadiums to inform about possible reviews in progress or of long-lasting VAR checks.

That will be introduced for Serie A fixtures this weekend.

“Lega Serie A wants to continue to invest in innovation, introducing all the new technologies that can enhance the spectacle of our Championship and support the refereeing trio,” De Siervo said. “In fact, we were the first in the world to introduce VAR.”

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