FIFA Authorities Debate Video Referees Ahead of 2018 World Cup

A new era in soccer is being debated as International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) administrators convene in Colombia March 15 and 16 to discuss using video assistant referees (VAR) for the June World Cup in Russia.

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Traditional referees may become a thing of the past as VAR vies for their position, promising greater accuracy through playbacks which will guarantee the dutiful delivery of red cards, penalty awards, mistaken identities and goals.

"VAR at the World Cup will certainly help to have a fairer World Cup," said FIFA President Gianni Infantino. "If there is a big mistake, it will be corrected." Infantino has long pushed for a video presence and says the additional support will guarantee a fairer tournament.

However, others have voiced concerns that the method is time-consuming, reminding FIFA authorities that video referees caused complete chaos during the first full season of live trials.

During the 2017 Confederations Cup warm-up tournaments, VAR left players, coaches and fans waiting minutes for a call which ordinarily would have taken seconds to determine, slowing the game to a crawl.

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Crystal Palace ChairmanSteve Parish said: "I am very worried about VAR. I hate all those games that stop and start, waiting for a decision, and they don't necessarily get the decision right."

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has opted to go without video reviews during this season's Champion League games, while the English Premier League is still debating the method's efficiency and accuracy.

"We're going down an incredibly dangerous road with that. I can't see any end to it. You know the answer for everything is going to be more VAR," Parish said.

This seems to be the direction FIFA President Infantino is hoping for, telling media that the organization hopes to "get as close to perfection" as possible, even if soccer fans and professionals aren't yet convinced.

The final decision will be announced following the Colombian FIFA conference Friday.