The organizing committee of FIFA announced Monday that it would recommend the use of video assistant referee technology at the Women’s World Cup this summer, bringing refereeing advances introduced at the men’s World Cup in Russia last year to soccer’s most important women’s championship for the first time. The decision, which is expected to be approved by the governing FIFA Council when it meets later this month in Miami, is a victory for women’s soccer players, coaches and fans who have highlighted gender equality issues in the international game. The technology, known by the acronym V.A.R., allows the on-field referee to consult with a colleague viewing video replays to help confirm, or overturn, close calls in a narrow set of instances. It was fully implemented for the first time at a major FIFA tournament last summer at the men’s World Cup, where FIFA hailed its introduction as a rousing success.

Source: New York Times March 04, 2019 19:52 UTC