New season ushers in new technology at EHF CL matches
The new European club season has just begun, with the first round of the EHF Champions League Women to be played this weekend and the throw-off for the Machineseeker EHF Champions League just a few days out. With the EHF always working to innovate and develop, the new season will introduce new technology to support referees and officials.
The biggest innovation in the EHF Champions League this season will be the implementation of video replays in all arenas.
Video replays have already been used at the EHF EUROs and the EHF FINAL4 events. The system gives referees the option to immediately watch a situation on a TV screen if they were not able to see the complete action on the court or if they wish to check again before reaching a final decision.
Referees will use a tablet computer to monitor situations from different camera positions.
Additionally, the buzzers used for team timeout requests are now mandatory for both genders in the EHF European League (with the start of the group matches in the men's event, respectively the group phase in the women's competition) and EHF Champions League after being successfully implemented in both club and national team competitions.
Following an additional evaluation after the EHF FINAL4s in June, the European Handball Federation also decided not introduce the coach's challenge in the EHF Champions League for the 2023/24 season.
