FIFA announces trial of new law
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has announced the trial of a new law at the U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia, which will see referees return to the “VAR” technique only at the request of the coach.
FIFA released a statement on its official website, which reads: “Unlike the operation of the video-assisted refereeing system, which is used in more than 200 tournaments in 65 national associations, the video-assisted system in football refereeing does not require video referees to be responsible for it, and therefore does not automatically check all situations that could change the course of the match. Instead, the responsibility lies with the coaches of both teams, who are each allowed to submit a specific number of requests per match if they believe that a clear and flagrant error has occurred in situations that could change the course of the match, such as those related to goals, penalty shootouts, the raising of the direct red card and an error in the identification of players.”
He continued: “In order to submit a review request, coaches must show a card to the fourth official as soon as the relevant situation occurs to avoid unnecessary delay and to comply with the laws of the game, which do not allow the decision to be changed if play resumes.
