VAR: Further trials of the challenge system are expected during the two-year review

Pierluigi Collina, FIFA’s chief referee, said there would be further trials of the challenge system as part of a two-year review of video assistant referees (VAR).

The International Football Association Board (Ifab) announced the review at its annual general meeting on Saturday – the 10th anniversary of its initial approval of VAR trials.

Football Video Support (FVS), which allows coaches to make two challenges per match, has already been trialled in Italy, Malta and Spain.

Collina, who chairs the FIFA Referees Committee, said that it is likely that these experiences will be repeated elsewhere.

He said, “It is possible that in the coming weeks we will open the possibility of joining the experiment for next season to member federations and competition organizers.”

The existence of VAR has been questioned at times this season in particular, with many claiming the game would be better without it.

Collina, who has been chosen as the best judge in the world five times, said: “In Italy, we say that in every great marriage, there is a crisis after seven years.

“So it might be possible that people fall in love with VAR, and then after a few years… a crisis.”