Additional assistant referees DVD for FAs

UEFA has produced a DVD for its 53 member national associations in which the European body provides information on implementing the additional assistant referee system which became part of the Laws of the Game this summer, and which is being deployed by UEFA in this season's club competitions.

The DVD is based on a presentation given by UEFA's chief refereeing officer Pierluigi Collina at a meeting with the European national associations in Kyiv in July. Through key video examples – especially those related to the UEFA EURO 2012 matches, where audio communication among the referee teams was also recorded – the DVD demonstrates the practical benefits on the pitch, as well as offering solutions for utilising refereeing resources efficiently in order to implement the system.

Football's lawmakers, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), approved the use of additional assistant referees at its meeting on 5 July, and since then all FIFA member associations have been free to fully apply the system, which proved its worth at UEFA EURO 2012, in particular as a deterrent against penalty-area incidents.

UEFA is staging a workshop on additional assistant referees in Nyon on 13 November, with national association elite referee managers invited to the House of European Football. The workshop will supply all the necessary tools and information to enable national associations to consider the implementation of the system. In addition, demonstrations of practical training for additional assistant referees are on the agenda.

Pierluigi Collina and UEFA refereeing officers Hugh Dallas and Marc Batta will join other members of the UEFA Referees Committee in passing on their valuable expertise, having seen the system tried and tested at around 1,000 top UEFA matches in the past three seasons.