April 25 – The lawmakers of world football, the International FA Board, have invited leagues and associations interested in running experiments with video replays to a first workshop on the ground-breaking innovation in Amsterdam next month.
Hosted by the Dutch FA (KNVB) the workshop will help demonstrate how the technology will work with a view to full implementation after two years of experimental testing.
The Dutch have been conducted unofficial experiments since 2013, with video assistants helping referees, and their findings helped IFAB come to the conclusion in March to rubber-stamp testing. An announcement is set to be made later next month to confirm which competitions in which countries will be involved.
IFAB has said video replays will be restricted to decisions on goals being scored, penalties being awarded, players being sent off and cases of mistaken identity.
In a statement, the IFAB said it had “looked at various sports already using video assistance, including rugby, American football (in the NFL), and basketball (in the NBA), to name a few. In addition, technology providers supplying those sports with state-of-the-art technology were also consulted.”
The overall objective of live experiments, it said, “is to answer the question of whether the implementation of VARs would improve the game. In addition, IFAB wants to understand the impact on the game for all stakeholders including referees, players, coaches, officials, and fans.”
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