VAR will not be used in European play-off final

The Northern Ireland Football League [NIFL] has confirmed that the video assistant referee [VAR] will not be used during the European play-off final at Windsor Park.

VAR was used for the first time in Northern Irish domestic football during the BetMcLean Cup final between Linfield and Glentoran in March with the introduction met with a mixed response from clubs and fanbases.

Football Video Support [FVS] had been considered as an alternative for the Hawk-Eye system used earlier in the year, but NIFL have now confirmed that the clubs involved have declined the use of the technology.

Cliftonville face Dungannon Swifts in Saturday's European play-off semi-final [18:00 BST] with the winner set to play BetMcLean Cup winners Linfield in Tuesday's decider at Windsor Park [19:45 BST].

The victors of the play-off will secure the Irish Premiership's final spot in the Uefa Conference League qualifiers.

"Following consultation and discussions with participating clubs, the majority chose not to use the FVS system, a position the league was happy to accept," a NIFL statement read.

FVS has been trialled in Italy, Malta and Spain and allows referees to review decisions made in real time with managers given two challenges per game.

Managers would be allowed to appeal 'clear and obvious errors' which would include decisions around goals, penalties and straight red cards.

Once a request for a review is made, the referee would view the incident on a monitor and must make the decision without advice from operators. If the appeal is deemed correct, the manager keeps their two challenges.