The system involves an extra official being placed behind either goal, primarily with the task of spotting infringements in the box. Obviously set pieces and corner kicks can now come under extra scrutiny with the officials able to advise the referee on awarding penalties but the players themselves may be less likely to tug shirts and block knowing there is an extra pair of eyes watching them.
Previously five officials have been used at international youth tournaments and now further testing will take place in the Europa League.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter said: “We were looking where we can have such experiments. Now we have found a solution together with UEFA.”
Whether the standard of officiating does improve remains to be seen. However, it will certainly give both Mark McGhee and the fans something interesting to consider during our Europa League run!