During the Euro 2024 tournament, England captain Harry Kane was seen speaking with Italian referee Daniele Orsato in images captured by Getty Images. The UEFA has announced that the rule implemented during the tournament, where only a team’s captain can communicate with the referee, will be carried over to European club competitions as well due to its success.
UEFA stated that these new rules have positively impacted the “image of football” and have helped to foster respect within the sport. With the new season of UEFA club competitions set to begin next week, this approach will be applied to all matches in UEFA competitions moving forward.
During Euro 2024, any player who attempted to approach the referee other than the team captain was shown a yellow card. This rule will now be applied in the Champions League, Europa League, and Europa Conference League in the upcoming season. This change has led to a significant increase in yellow card bookings, with 166 handed out in the group stage compared to 98 during Euro 2020.
