Earlier this month, FIFA kicked the ball forward with its inaugural use of video replay technology, specifically called “video assistant referees” (VAR). Yet, the trial run was met with criticism by some.
On Sept. 1, Italy and France squared off in Bari for FIFA’s first ever “semi-live” test run. FIFA President Gianni Infantino was “very satisfied” with how the technology was integrated into the match, according to FIFA.com.
“With VAR, we help the referees and we protect the game,” he added. “We turned a new page in football’s history book. After this very pleasant experience, we will see where the VAR tests are leading us. We need more tests. We will continue with testing VAR until 2018 (when the IFAB will decide on VAR).”
FIFA referee Björn Kuipers did not conduct any on-field reviews, but instead, communicated with the video assistant referees through radio communication only, thus making the test run “semi-live.”
“Football sometimes seems to be stuck in medieval ages,” said Zvonimir Boban, FIFA Deputy Secretary General (Football). “Innovations are accepted only after a difficult process of balancing pros and cons. We are often scared of new things in our sport, but after a while we see the positive effects of innovation and we start to appreciate this. When it became a rule that passing back to one’s own goalkeeper is prohibited, we were very happy to see the positive effects on the game.”
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Despite the optimism with the test run — where just two calls were addressed with the Match Official — former English Premier League referee, Howard Webb told Metro.co that introducing video replay technology into matches would turn officials into “remote-controlled referees.” Even with all of the technological advances across the NFL, MLB and other professional sports league and governing bodies, Webb was still on the fence about its role on the pitch.
“When the idea of retrospective action was first brought in, it was supposed to be for incidents way off the ball, which no official could possibly have seen, but that is no longer the case,” Webb said. “Now FIFA’s position is changing and trials of video technology are taking place.
“Of course we should welcome anything which helps get decisions right, but we have to be careful. If all decisions can be reviewed by video, referees on the pitch become nothing more than remote-controlled referees.”
Still, President Infantino clarified after the match that in spite of the technology integration, referees would be the main decision-makers. The next FIFA VAR test run will occur when Italy and Germany play Nov 15.