FIFA exec: VAR will be used at 2018 World Cup

A FIFA executive claims video assistant referees (VAR) will be introduced for the first time at the World Cup when the quadrennial contest kicks off in Russia in June.

Chief commercial officer Philippe Le Floc’h confirmed plans to use the video review technology in discussion with The Associated Press, saying, “definitely VAR will happen. I think it’s great to have technology in football because this is also a fair(ness) thing.”

Le Floc’h adds that talks have begun between FIFA and potential sponsors over branding the use of VAR technology.

“We are talking to various technological companies who are very interested with what we are doing on the technology side of things,” Floc’h added.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB), a body formed by FIFA in 1904 to govern the rules of the sport, has been conducting trials on VAR technology for a two-year period dating back to the 130th Annual General Meeting in Cardiff in March 2016.

VAR has since been employed in top-flight domestic leagues in Germany, Italy, and in Major League Soccer, with plans to introduce it next season in top-tier French and Spanish football. VAR has also been trialled in England during domestic cups.

The technology allows the match official to review contentious incidents involving goals, penalty decisions, direct red cards, and cases of mistaken identity.

A final decision will be made by IFAB on March 2 when its annual meeting is held.