Massimo Busacca, FIFA Head of Refereeing, during a press conference at Saint Petersburg Stadium on Monday.
Saint Petersburg: The use of video assistant referees (VAR) has been deemed a ‘milestone’ for the global football family and FIFA Head of Refereeing Massimo Busacca says it is a step in the right direction.
VAR has been used a total of 10 times in 12 matches at the Confederations Cup in Russia where referees made six game-changing decisions, Busacca said.
“We had six game-changing decisions taken as a result of VAR (video assistant referee) review,” Busacca said. “This is what the protocol says: to look for clear errors. To focus on key decisions,” Busacca added.
“The tests have been very good so far. The most important thing for us, by far, is that no clear mistakes were made,” the FIFA official said.
“With that said, of course we do admit that there are many aspects that should be improved. We need to keep the waiting time as short as possible.
“Top referees are intelligent: they know that communications must be quick and direct; they know that time is an imperative. However, choosing the right camera angle as quickly as possible, under pressure, is something that is still not second nature.
“After the conclusion of the tournament, we will work for the future –we have to,” Busacca said.
“We will not be perfect, but we will reduce mistakes. Besides, VAR will be a tool for prevention. Players will know that they are under scrutiny.
“With that said, the objective of the referee remains the same: to be at the right place at the right time, to understand the game and to make the right decisions when applying disciplinary sanctions,” Busacca said.
Portugal coach Fernando Santos termed use of VAR as ‘mid-game confusion’ but FIFA President Gianni Infantino gave it the thumbs-up earlier in the tournament.
“I am extremely happy with VAR so far,” Infantino said.
“We have seen how video assistance has helped referees to make the correct decisions. This is what VAR is all about.
“The VAR tests during this Confederations Cup are also helping us to improve the processes and fine-tune communication. This is a milestone tournament. Video Assistant Refereeing is the future of modern football,” Infantino added.
