FIFA will test the viability of introducing video technology to football after the move was discussed at a meeting of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) in Cardiff.
The move will see two years of the video technology being tested, with 'video assistant referees' reviewing decisions and key moments in the game.
Breaking: Trials of "video assistant referees" approved by the body which controls the rules of football. 2 years of experiments.
— Richard Conway (@richard_conway) 5 March 2016
The decisions up for review by the assistants in the trial will include goals, penalties and red cards.
Trials of video assistance for referees to focus on specific incidents:
- goals – inc. off-sides
- red cards
- mistaken identity
- penalties— Richard Conway (@richard_conway) 5 March 2016
New FIFA President Gianni Infantino had hinted that the meeting of the IAFB on Saturday would address the issue, and that they were likely to move to approve it as "we cannot close our eyes to progress". He added, however, that the trials would need to fine tune the use of the technology until they find the ideal solution for its use in football.
According to AFP, the trials will begin no later than the 2017/18 season.
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