FIFA WANTS VAR AT 2019 WOMEN WORLD CUP

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The Video Assistant referee, VAR technology is set to be employed in this year’s edition of the FIFA women world cup, coming up in June/July.

According to reports, FIFA President, Gianni Infantino and UEFA leader Aleksander Ceferin, are two heavyweight supporters of this idea.

At a meeting in Miami next week, FIFA’s ruling council is set to ratify video assistants being deployed to help women referees at the June 7 to July 7 tournament in France.

The video assistant referees will likely include men helping advise all-female teams of referees and assistants. No domestic women’s competition uses VAR.

Some men with experience working in VAR at the 2018 World Cup in Russia took part in trials at a boys’ youth tournament in Qatar last month with Women’s World Cup match officials.

“The tests were quite positive,” Infantino said. “I would of course wish that we do use VAR at the Women’s World Cup.”

U.S. women’s national team coach Jill Ellis, who brought up the issue at the men’s World Cup last summer in Russia, said on Monday evening that the decision was “fantastic”.

“It’s great news. I think everyone in our sport realised it was such a positive, and to have now the same access to the same technology, I think it’s great,” Ellis said.

“It’s going to be an intense World Cup and I think having the benefit of VAR is important.”