Video assistant referees to arrive only by the 2017/2018 season
The trial of video assistant referees in professional football matches will be held no earlier than the 2017/2018 season, The International Football Association Board (IFAB) have confirmed. Having wanted to test the use of more technology to help decisions, IFAB says it has the cooperation of 12 national associations and one confederation to test the new system.
The news comes following an IFAB meeting in Cardiff. FIFA's new president, Gianni Infantino, also says the use of technology in the sport is "inevitable" and that the new system will help referees and teams by making sure key game-changing decisions are dealt with professionally and accurately.
The IFAB is made up of the British collection of football associations and a FIFA delegate team. They continue to insist that the technology will be added only after a period of thorough testing. Speaking of the idea of implementing it soon, Infantino said, "We cannot close our eyes to the future but it doesn't mean to say it will work.
"The flow of the game is crucial. We cannot put that in danger. That is why we have to be open to test."
Meanwhile, the IFAB have also decided to scrap the 'triple punishment rule' wherein a defender is sent off for a tackle in the penalty box along with conceding a penalty. The association believes this is too severe a punishment.
However, if the defender is pulling down, pushing or being aggressive on the offensive player than what's allowed, the current rules would apply.
Further changes in multiple governing laws
In addition to the above laws, the IFAB have revisited a bunch of existing laws that could come into effect soon ensuring that the word count of everything is reduced and that gender-neutral language is used throughout.
The few changes in the footballing laws are:
1. A player who is injured by a challenge punished by a yellow or red card need not leave the field following the coming-together, which otherwise would give the offending team a numerical advantage; the player will be able to have treatment on the pitch (Law 5).
2. The kick-off is also changing, with players able to move the ball in any direction, rather than just forward (Law 8)
3. The IFAB are also experimenting the use of a fourth substitute during extra time. This is far from being drafted, however,