VAR used 440 times, Increased referee accuracy, Completed offside goals

FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Friday hailed the 2018 Russian football tournament as the best World Cup. One of the innovative game changers of this World Cup was the deployment of the Video Assisted Referee (VAR), a football badistant referee who reviews the decisions made by the referee with the main referee. use of video footage and a communication headset. The VAR system has so far been used at this World Cup at more than 440 occasions with 19 times in 62 games, said Infantino, who said that with VAR: "goals scored from an offside position are over. "

"The word is progress, it's better than the past, VAR does not change football, VAR cleans football, makes football more honest and transparent, helps referees make good decisions", said Infantino at the Luzhniki stadium press conference. The FIFA president said that with VAR, the referees' decisions had gone from 95% to 99.2% accuracy: "Out of 16 referee decisions changed, 16 bad decisions have become 16 good decisions. "

He pointed out that thanks to VAR "goals scored from an offside position are over, at least in the case of VAR-badisted football."

When asked if the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) should implement VAR for this year's Champions League season, Infantino replied: "I left the # 39; UEFA two years ago. It now belongs to others to make this decision. "

Infantino said that VAR had" educated "the footballers because being watched by the VAR cameras has deterred them from resort to violence.

"There was not a single red card," said Infantino to the press When a reporter reminded him of Cristiano Ronaldo's badault on Iranian player Morteza Pouraliganji, Infantino l 39; justified by saying, "This was not in front."