[REF WATCH] Next season’s Europa League, formerly the UEFA Cup, will be used to continue the refereeing experiment with five officials. In addition to the referee and two assistant referees on the sidelines, two extra assistants are placed behind the goal line to focus on incidents in the penalty area, such as fouls or misconduct.
The five-official format was tested during the qualifying round mini-tournaments of the UEFA European Under-19 Championship and was considered a success.
“Everyone agrees on the need to help referees,” said UEFA President Michel Platini. “With soccer getting ever faster and the players ever fitter, it sometimes seems the [officials] face a mission impossible.
“Two extra pairs of eyes focusing on the penalty areas are of valuable assistance to the referee and strengthen the referee team in confidence and numbers, while allowing the game to flow. The best teams are often the ones who demonstrate the greatest cohesion – by strengthening the position of the main referee we are creating the ideal conditions for the referee team to also be one of the best.”