UEFA has introduced a new regulation for EURO 2024 to enhance communication efficiency during matches. Under this rule, referees will only be allowed to speak with two designated players.
Any player who violates this rule will face sanctions.
On Tuesday, UEFA announced that referees in the upcoming EURO 2024 tournament, scheduled to take place from June 14 to July 14 in Germany, will better explain their decisions but will address only the team captains.
Other players attempting to intervene will be warned.
Referees Will Communicate Only with Two Designated Players During Matches
"We want referees with strong personalities who can make decisions - sometimes unpopular - and stand by them on the field. However, we also want them to be more open," explained Roberto Rosetti, head of the UEFA refereeing committee, in a statement.
Tournament officials will provide "more details to players and coaches to help them understand what led to certain decisions" and aim to "create a climate of trust, given that they receive a lot of information" from video assistance technology, added the former Italian international referee.
"But explaining a decision when surrounded by 22 players is impossible, especially when there are 200 to 250 decisions per match.
We are asking all teams to ensure that only the captain speaks to the referee," Roberto Rosetti emphasized.
In cases where the team captain is a goalkeeper, "a field player must be designated to fulfill that role if an incident occurs at the other end of the pitch," added the UEFA refereeing chief.
