London: Football Association chief executive Martin Glenn believes the video assistant referee (VAR) system will become a permanent fixture in English football after it was successfully trialled for the first time in Monday’s FA Cup tie between Brighton & Hove Albion and Crystal Palace.
Brighton beat Palace 2-1 to advance to the fourth round, with the VAR Neil Swarbrick reviewing and allowing Brighton striker Glenn Murray’s late winner to stand, after the ball initially appeared to brush off the player’s hand.
After the collaboration between match referee Andre Marriner and Swarbrick was deemed a success, Glenn was confident that the system will assist English officials for years to come.
“The FA generally thinks that in a few years’ time we will wonder how we ever lived without it,” Glenn told reporters on Tuesday. “We were a big supporter of VAR being embraced in football after years of it being challenged by Sepp Blatter and FIFA.
“I was pleased as it seemed to work the right way ... The good news is that the game did not stop once and there appeared to be good teamwork between (referee) Andre Marriner and (VAR) Neil Swarbrick.
“ ... The big question now is: should we put it into the World Cup?” VAR involves a fifth match official along with an assistant watching the on-pitch action remotely and then drawing the match referee’s attention to officiating mistakes.
The system, which has already been implemented in Italy’s Serie A and Germany’s Bundesliga, will also be used in the League Cup semi-final clash between Chelsea and Arsenal on Wednesday.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has previously backed the use of the technology at the 2018 World Cup in Russia with a final decision on it’s implementation yet to be made.
—Reuters
