Trials for video assistant referees approved

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has approved trials for video assistant referees in the sport.

A decision to test the advantages and disadvantage of video assistants in private before implementing live experiments for the 2017-18 season was taken at IFAB’s annual general meeting in Cardiff on Saturday.

The IFAB says 12 leagues and one confederation are interested in staging live trials.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino said of the decision: “We have taken really a historic decision for football. FIFA and IFAB are now leading the debate and not stopping the debate.

“We have shown we are listening to the fans, the players.”

The IFAB has also amended the wording of the rule concerning the “triple punishment” for a player who concedes a penalty and is sent off and suspended having been deemed to have denied an obvious goalscoring opportunity.

Furthermore, a player who is injured by a challenge that results in a yellow or red card can be treated on the field rather than having to leave the pitch and hand the team who committed the offence an advantage.

In other changes, players will be able to kick the ball in any direction from the kick-off instead of just being able to kick it forwards, while experimentation with a fourth substitution in extra time has also been allowed.

The changes will be enforced from June 1.