FANS MAY GET TO LISTEN IN ON REF’S VAR CHAT

FIFA may contemplate broadcasting conversations between referees and VAR officials to the crowd and TV audiences at future tournaments.

The controversial VAR system has been declared a success by officials at this World Cup with the chairman of the FIFA referees committee Pierluigi Collina saying it has been ‘almost perfect’ during the 48 group-stage matches.

At a press conference in Moscow yesterday, Collina was asked whether it would be beneficial neficial to spectators if they could uld hear the conversations ns between officials as s decisions are reviewed.

He said: ‘Before running you have to walk. It may be possible but I don’t know the future. Maybe we could think of it. It’s something we will look at it in the future.

‘I don’t think you should ever say no to something. You should look at pros and cons and experiment and see how things are.’

Ahead of the knockout stages that start today FIFA revealed yesterday that 335 incidents have been checked by VAR so far and that this has led to an overall success rate of 99.3 per cent in terms of correct decisions.

Fourteen decisions have been overturned by VAR so far with three being upheld. Collina said: ‘VAR does not stand for perfection. There will still be mistakes. But 99 per cent is very close to perfection.’

It emerged yesterday that the Brazil FA and the Morocco FA have complained to FIFA about decisions during the tournament. But MaMassimo Busacca, director of FIFAFI refereeing, said: ‘ We dodon’t have a single scandal hhere so far and that is one of the most important things. We want to stop referees relying on luck. WWe want to put an end to tthings that could ruin their cacareers. For the referees it is somsometimes impossible to be close tto the action. For 89 minutes we are doing a good job. VAR is here for the other 20 seconds.’

The refereeing assessors at the World Cup are constantly reviewing decisions and admitted yesterday that officials had been told to look out for holding at corners after repeat offences against Harry Kane in England’s game against Tunisia were missed. England subsequently were awarded a penalty for holding in their next game.

Collina added: ‘ We noticed. We intervened. We fine-tuned.’