IFAB: Video Assistant Referees unanimously approved in Zurich (SUI) on 03/03/2018

"The International Football Association Board (IFAB) unanimously approved the use of video assistant referees (VARs)," announced FIFA, after the 132^nd Annual General Meeting at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich (SUI) on 03/03/2018.

"The decision is another step toward wide-ranging use of video assistance for referees in order to help increase integrity and fairness in the game. Prior to taking its decision, the members of The IFAB (the football associations of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as FIFA, representing all other national football associations) were presented with the results of the independent analysis of the use of VARs conducted by Belgian university KU Leuven since the beginning of the VAR experiment in March 2016," said FIFA.

The meeting chaired by FIFA President Gianni Infantino also approved "a draft VAR Handbook containing compulsory protocol, principles and requirements, as well as advice on the implementation of VARs, to enable competitions to complete the rigorous mandatory approval process," added FIFA.

VAR is already being used in 2017-18…