Zurich, March 3
Football’s lawmakers on Saturday approved video assistant referee technology (VAR) for this summer’s World Cup, in one of the biggest changes to the sport in years.
The International Football Association Board, meeting in Zurich, rubber-stamped a move already backed by FIFA’s top brass, including president Gianni Infantino.
The final decision to use the technology at the World Cup in Russia will be made when the FIFA Council — world football’s top decision-making body — meets in Colombia on March 15 and 16.
VAR can only be used when there is doubt surrounding any of the four key game-changing situations: goals, penalty decisions, straight red cards or mistaken identity.