The worldwide use of video assistant referees (VARs) in football could become a step closer when officials from the rule-making International Football Association Board (IFAB) meets this month.
The Video Assistant Referee system is being trialled in several countries. Photo: Photosport
IFAB's annual business meeting in Zurich on January 22 is set to make an "indicative recommendation" on the use of VARs, an IFAB spokesperson said on Friday (NZ time).
The system is being trialled in several countries including Germany, Italy and in Australia's A-League.
English domestic football will also conduct a first competitive trial when Brighton play Crystal Palace in the FA Cup third round on Monday.
A final decision will be taken at IFAB's general meeting on March 2, with a positive vote paving the way for video referees to be used at the World Cup in Russia.
Countries could then decide individually on whether or not to introduce the system.
VARs are being trialled in more than a dozen countries and have also been tested in international competitions and matches.
After tests at the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia, football governing body FIFA president Gianni Infantino praised the system as "a great success" despite several confusing situations for fans and players.
In the German Bundesliga, the VARs have received a mixed response, but British former referee David Elleray, who is IFAB's technical director, told Britain's Times newspaper that trials around the world had gone well.
"Generally I think it has gone much better than people have anticipated and almost every week we get an inquiry from another league about using VARs," he said.
- DPA
