Belgian Pro League to follow in Euro's footsteps: only captains to speak to referees

The Belgian Pro League will next season adopt the UEFA rule that only team captains can speak to the referee. This measure was put in place during the last European Championship in Germany.

"We carry out on-field communication according to UEFA guidelines. It's also about maintaining uniformity with matches abroad," Jonathan Lardot, the new refereeing technical director, told a press conference on Wednesday, according to French-language public broadcaster RTBF.

UEFA announced last Friday that it will apply this new refereeing rule in all European competitions and the Belgian championship wants to harmonise criteria in its league, which will begin on 26th July with Brugge as defending champions.

The Belgian refereeing official said that all players "have the right to an explanation after a refereeing decision", but that this will go through the captain.

If the goalkeeper is the one wearing the armband, he must designate an outfield player before the match to act as an interlocutor with the referee when the ball is away from his box.

 

July 17, 2024