Football’s laws body approves VAR for World Cup

— Access to information —

But the desire to avoid disputed calls — especially in a competition with such a large global audience — tipped international football officials to support using VAR at this summer’s tournament in Russia.

One iconic example that VAR could theoretically have prevented is Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” goal that saw Argentina beat England in the 1986 World Cup.

For Infantino, international football had to ensure World Cup officials have access to the same images as fans.

“In 2018 we cannot anymore afford that everyone in the stadium and everyone in front of a TV screen can see within a few minutes on his phone whether the referee has made a big mistake or not, and the only one who cannot see it is the referee”, he said last month.

Representatives of the 32 teams that have qualified for the World Cup meeting in the Black Sea resort of Sochi this week voiced confidence that the expected VAR rollout would be a positive for the tournament.

“This is the new life. This is modern life,” said Iran head coach Carlos Queiroz.

“It is obvious that football cannot go on with its eyes closed to the modern world.”