Football and rugby union are among the sports that use video technology to help determine contentious key decisions in matches. Football uses a video assistant referee (VAR) while rugby union's equivalent has a television match official (TMO). Decisions in football looked at by VAR officials are restricted to four main sets of incidents: possible red cards, possible penalties, goals and mistaken identity. But the use of VAR has regularly split opinion since its introduction into football almost a decade ago. Rugby union's use of video technology dates back much further than football, first trialled in the 1990s.

Source: BBC February 23, 2026 18:36 UTC