The football association KNVB will use on-field announcements to explain decisions made by the video refereeing panel (VAR) during this weekend’s Dutch cup matches.

The experiment aims to make VAR reviews less controversial by allowing the video referee to communicate directly with the crowd via the headset worn by the referee on the pitch.

The KNVB said the scheme was part of its efforts to make football “more sporting, fairer and more attractive”. It hopes it will help fans, players and coaches understand why decisions have been given.

The Eredivisie was one of the first professional leagues in Europe to adopt VAR in the 2018-19 season, but the system has been criticised for not applying the rules consistently.

Last weekend PSV Eindhoven were controversially awarded a penalty against AZ Alkmaar for handball when the ball hit a defender’s arm behind his back, but the VAR panel did not ask referee Danny Makkelie to review the incident.

Similar systems are in place in other sports, such as American football and rugby, and were tried out by FIFA during last year’s women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

In England, on-field announcements were used for the first time in the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup last week.