VAR may be used in Mexico starting in 2019, soccer's law-making body says

The technical director of the International Football Association Board, soccer's law-making body, said the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system could begin to be used in Mexican soccer starting next year.

England's David Elleray said on Friday at a press conference in this central city that he hoped the system would be used in some official matches in Mexico in 2019, reports Efe.

The ex-referee added that the technology would need to be introduced gradually to minimize errors.

The results of VAR testing this week during the Copa Premier VAR - a friendly tournament aimed at implementing the system in Mexico - were presented at the Mexican soccer federation's headquarters in Toluca.

Elleray recalled that the VAR project has been developed gradually since 2016 and was now getting its biggest showcase at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

He said the implementation of VAR - in which off-field referees review video footage to, among other things, determine whether a goal was scored or a penalty decision was correct - would not eliminate errors but would help improve players' conduct and ensure fairer results.

--IANS

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