Italy will display VAR images in stadiums and referees will explain decisions

The measures will be implemented in the next Serie A matchday and in the Coppa Italia semi-finals.

Starting next week, Serie A will broadcast footage of VAR reviews in stadiums to help fans understand referee decisions, while in the Coppa Italia, referee decisions will be explained via audio—both in stadium and on TV.

Italy, which was one of the first leagues to implement semi-automatic offside, took another step forward with VAR technology.

"Lega Serie A announces that, starting with Matchday 30 of the Championship, it will integrate the VARDict signal (i.e., the TV graphics broadcast during VAR checks) into the stadium's giant screens, thus informing spectators in attendance of any ongoing VAR reviews or long-term VAR checks," the body said in a statement.

Como-Empoli, the first

The first match with this new feature will therefore be Como 1907-Empoli, which will be played this Saturday, March 29.

In addition, the Lega Serie A announced that for the Coppa Italia semi-finals and final, "the experimental phase of broadcasting the referee's audio signal inside stadiums and on television will begin, with a specific limitation on the explanation of the decisions made by the referee following the VAR intervention and the on-field review."

Milanese derby in Coppa

The Coppa Italia semifinals are the Milan-Inter and Empoli-Bologna derbies. The first legs will be played on April 1 and 2, and the second legs will be played on April 23 and 24. 

"We were the first in the world to introduce VAR, semi-automatic offside, and goal-scoring technology. Now we're ready to integrate VARDict and experiment with the distribution of the referee's audio signal inside stadiums and on television," said Lega Serie A General Director Luigi De Siervo.

"The goal is to make decisions increasingly transparent and understandable for players, coaches, and all stakeholders, including the public in the stands and television viewers," De Siervo added.