The soccer world might begin live trials of video replays to help referees decide on questionable goals, penalties, red cards and cases of mistaken identity, with the sport’s lawmakers set to vote on the move on March 5.
Germany and Brazil have both said they are willing to host trials if they are approved by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), which governs the rules of the sport.
The German Football Federation has offered to hold trials, which could include matches in the top two Bundesliga divisions next season.
The Brazilian Football Confederation is hoping to stage tests in the top flight of this year’s Brazilian championship, which starts in April.
However, the technology must be properly tested and evaluated before it can be approved for use by national federations, meaning it might take years before it is fully implemented.
IFAB’s board of directors last month recommended that the trials be given the go-ahead, and the vote is to take place at an annual general meeting in Cardiff on March 5.
The IFAB, which had previously insisted on the importance of keeping the sport’s human element, took the plunge when it approved the use of goal-line technology in 2012, used in cases where it is not immediately clear if the ball has entered the goal.
Goal-line technology is now in use in the English Premier League and Italy’s Serie A, and UEFA has approved it for use at this year’s European Championships and in next season’s UEFA Champions League.
However, since IFAB’s 2012 move, there have been a growing number of calls from players and managers to use video technology in other aspects of the game as well.
The governing body’s Cardiff meeting is to be asked to ratify what it described as “the most comprehensive revision” of the laws of the game ever undertaken.
The agenda also includes the implementation of sin-bins, allowing a fourth substitute in stoppage-time and the so-called triple punishment, where a player gives away a penalty, is sent off and suspended for the next game.
“The new format will be more clear and concise, with half the current word count and improvements to the structure, layout, terminology, phrasing and consistency,” the IFAB said.
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