Extra officials to be used in Champions League

By Andrew Warshaw in Nyon

May 27 – Two extra officials will be employed in next season’s Champions League – despite the idea patently failing to gather popular support or compensate for goal-line technology.

UEFA's Executive Committee have given the green light for the so-called five referees system – the pet idea of its President Michel Platini – to come into force in the final qualifying round of the Champions League and throughout the rest of the competition.

Earlier this month, the experiment, featuring an extra official behind each goal, was endorsed by the International Football Association Board – rule-makers of world football – for a further two seasons in the Europa League.

Now UEFA have agreed to trial the system in their flagship competition.

Roy Hodgson, whose Fulham team reached the final of the Europa League in one of football's great cinderalla stories, and Everton’s David Moyes have both gone on record as questioning the validity of a system designed to replace goal-line technology, ditched permanently as a concept by FIFA despite receiving widespread support throughout the game.

A recent survey of club captains in the Europa League also revealed that 70 per cent believed decision-making had not improved with two extra pairs of eyes yet UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino argued it was an important step.

"The experiment in the Europa League went very well," he told a news conference here.

"As a result, we have decided to introduce five referees for the Champions League starting with the final playoffs before the group stage."

The controversial experiment will also be introduced into the Euro 2012 qualifying competition starting soon after the World Cup.

"Now that a decision has been taken that there will be no technology, something has to be done to help the referees," Infantino said.

"It’s difficult to find anything negative about it."

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