FIFA President Gianni Infantino Says 2018 World Cup Will Use Video Assistant Ref
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has confirmed that video refereeing will be used during the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
BBC Sport's Richard Conway relayed the news:
The Video Assistant Referee system was first introduced at the FIFA Club World Cup in December and is now being trialled, notably correcting two decisions in France's 2-0 defeat to Spain last month.
Conway provided further details and more on the reasoning behind the implementation of the system from Infantino:
The technology can be used to review major incidents such as goals, penalties, red cards and cases of mistaken identity.
It is already in use in the Australian A-league and could come to the EFL Cup and FA Cup next season.
As noted by Sky News' Kay Burley, England would have benefited from such technology at the 2010 edition of the World Cup:
Per Reuters' Chris Gallagher, Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane and midfielder Luka Modric were both critical of the technology's use during the Club World Cup, with both believing it can cause "confusion."
The time it can take for decisions to be reached using the video assistant is also a source of concern for critics of the system, though Gerard Deulofeu's wrongly disallowed goal for Spain against France took just 40 seconds to correct.
The system's implementation will take time to perfect, but with the ongoing tests in the meantime and the trial-run it will have at the Confederations Cup this summer, officials have the opportunity to work through issues with its use.
