FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Serie A - Atalanta v Empoli - Gewiss Stadium, Bergamo, Italy - December 22, 2024 Referee Ermano Feliciani looks at a VAR screen during a penalty review REUTERS/Daniele Mascolo/File Photo
(Reuters) -Serie A referees will begin announcing VAR decisions live in stadiums and on television starting next season, referee designator Gianluca Rocchi told Italian media on Tuesday.
Rocchi described the move as a significant step forward in communication between referees and the public, saying the aim was to make officiating decisions quicker and clearer.
"We have a select group of officials and we want to ensure the language is as uniform as possible so that decisions can be clear to the public," Rocchi said.
The concept of referees explaining decisions to the crowd has also been explored in countries including England and Germany.
The Serie A season kicks off on August 23.
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk, editing by Ed Osmond)
