The ball has got rolling towards a sea change in the way elite football is played and refereed after the International Football Association (IFAB) approved trials using video technology to help match officials.
Five leagues will be kicking off live experiments "at the latest for the 2017/18 season" according to a statement released by IFAB, the body responsible for overseeing the laws of the game, following their meeting in Cardiff. "We have taken a really historic decision for football", said new FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who was in attendance.
"The expectation is not to achieve 100% accuracy in decisions for every single incident, but to avoid clearly incorrect decisions that are pre-defined 'game-changing' situations - goals, penalty decisions, direct red card incidents and mistaken identity", revealed IFAB in their statement.
On a different note, IFAB have also agreed to relax the so-called 'triple jeopardy' rule whereby a foul denying a clear goalscoring opportunity in the area must be punished with a penalty, a sending-off and a subsequent suspension.
On a trial basis for the next two years, offences committed by the last man in the box will only prompt a yellow card and a spot-kick, with a red card exclusively being shown when it is deemed that no genuine attempt has been made to play the ball. This ruling will come into effect from June, meaning it will be in force for the European Championship and the centenary edition of the Copa América.
Source: transfermarketweb.com