VAR set to be used at World Cup in Russia

Video Assistant Referees (VAR) have been unanimously voted in favour of being introduced into the laws of the game at a meeting of the International Football Association Board (IFAB).

It paves the way for FIFA to confirm the use of VAR at this summer’s World Cup finals, having already used the technology at the Club World Cup in December. FIFA president Gianni Infantino said a decision on VAR “will be taken at next FIFA Council meeting on March 16 in Bogota.”

“As of today, video assistant referees are part of football and this is certainly very important news,” said Infantino, who chaired the meeting.

An IFAB statement read: “This landmark meeting, chaired by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, represents a new era for football with video assistance for referees helping to increase integrity and fairness in the game.”

The VAR can overturn a “clear and obvious error” involving goals, penalty awards, red cards and mistaken identity.

VAR has been used throughout the league season in many countries on a trial basis, including the Bundesliga, Serie A, Portugal’s Primeira Liga, MLS and the A-League. It has also just been introduced in Brazil and La Liga will use it from next season.

English football only starting its own trials in January in domestic cup competitions and it has seen many controversial moments, but the impact has been largely positive over the long-term in other leagues.

However, UEFA has already stated it will not use VAR in the Champions League or the Europa League next season, while the Premier League is not expected to consider introducing it until 2019 at the earliest due to ongoing confusion about how it is implemented.

The vote was taken at the 132nd Annual General Meeting of IFAB, which was presented with the results of the independent analysis of the use of VAR over the last 12 months from Belgian university KU Leuven. IFAB says the philosophy of VAR is “minimum interference – maximum benefit.”

The football associations of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland had one vote each, while FIFA, representing all other national federations, had four, with six required for a change in the laws.

A VAR Implementation Assistance and Approval Programme (IAAP), overseen by IFAB and FIFA, aims to bring consistency and quality throughout its use.

Meanwhile, IFAB also approved the use of the additional, fourth substitute in extra time, as trialled over the past two years. The “use of electronic and communication equipment in the technical area (small handheld mobile devices), strictly for tactical/coaching purposes and player safety” was also voted through.

There will also be revised wordings on “denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity (DOGSO)” and “stopping a promising attack (SPA)” relating to the law change that ended the triple punishment for a red card inside the box.