The referee makes the sign of a screen with his fingers and goes to consult a screen on the edge of the pitch — the controversial VAR, video assistant refereeing system, will make its World Cup debut in Russia 2018.
After experiments in different FIFA tournaments, Serie A in Italy and the German Bundesliga this season, the principle is now well known in most countries.
VAR can be used in four scenarios — after a goal has been scored, for penalty decisions, red card decisions or for a case of mistaken identity of a player who has been booked or sent off.
“It’s about avoiding major and obvious mistakes, not refereeing with technology, the goal has never been to check every minor incident,” explained Pierluigi Collina, chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, during a VAR training programme organised at the Italian national training centre at Coverciano near Florence.
In Russia, 13 referees will officiate exclusively by watching the control screens. And some of the 35 referees selected to officiate on the pitch will also move into the role of video referees for one or more matches.
“VAR can be our best friend, it’s no longer possible to make a crucial error,” said Dutch referee Bjorn Kuipers.
The main sticking point remains the inexperience of some of the referees who have rarely got to use the new technology before the World Cup.