More Details About Europa League's Additional Referees Experiment

UEFA has acknowledged that their trial of using two additional Assistant Referees in the Europa League will in fact make it a six-man team of match officials (and not five).

Therefore, all 144 Europa League group games will be officiated by six match officials. Two additional ARs, who will take up positions alongside each goal behind the goal line, will join the usual four-man team of match officials.

According to FIFA and UEFA:

The additional ARs will be positioned on the opposite side of the goal from the AR – to the left when viewed from the centre circle. Using a radio communication system to relay their recommendations to the Referee but without flags, additional ARs will generally remain behind the goalline but may enter the penalty area when play moves towards the other end of the pitch so as to keep up with the action.

[Additional AR standing behind the goal line]

Here are some of my thoughts:

1) Will this trial of using additional ARs only be applied to Europa League group games? What about the knockout stages starting from the round of 32 teams leading to the final? It is not made clear.

2) FIFA and UEFA have stated: "Technical experts appointed by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) will monitor developments throughout in order to assess the impact the two additional ARs have on the game and to determine whether they enhance the officials' control of the match. The conclusions will later be presented to the IFAB for consideration."

How is this trial assessed? How will "technical experts" assess the impact of the additional ARs? If at the end of the season the methods and results of the trial are not made transparent and publicly available, then there will be questions and much doubt about the trial.

3) I assume that there will be meaningful comparisons made, so that there is a reference point and justification for using or not using the new refereeing system of additional ARs (at the highest levels). What meaningful comparisons will be made? Will it be between Europa League group matches and the previous seasons' UEFA Cup group matches? Will it be between Europa League group matches and the Champions League group matches? Will it be a comparision of the number of cautions and red cards issued in matches with and without additional ARs?

4) It is clear that the higher echelons of FIFA and UEFA are hesitant (afraid almost) to use technology. Regardless of what everyone thinks about video and goal-line technology, a more definitive trial would have been to simultaneously assess the current system of four match officials with using addtional ARs and also with using technology.

Wouldn't the following hypothetical statement by FIFA and UEFA be an improvement?
"Technical experts appointed by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) will monitor developments throughout to assess the impact the two additional ARs [and also the impact of video technology including Hawk-Eye] have on the game and to determine whether they enhance the officials' control of the match. The conclusions [comparing three different refereeing systems] will later be presented to the IFAB for consideration [and released to the public]."

5) Finally, how will all this help the grass-roots level of the game? In most countries, there is a shortage of referees so it is obvious that implementing additional ARs will not be practical (and is limited only to the highest levels). Relatively speaking, ARs do not get much physical activity on the touch lines (high-tempo matches with fit players aside), so imagine what standing behind the goal line would mean. Therefore, referees involved in the amateur game need better assistance not additional assistant refereees.


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Reference
Two extra pairs of eyes for referee teams
UEFA President hails UEFA Europa League