Dutch greenlight football goal replay; FIFA up next

Jetro Willems' red card during NAC Breda-PSV has made the call for a video referee in football a reality. The KNVB is reportedly eager to be allowed a trial run. On its own initiative the KNVB has been investigating whether the use of a video assistant adds value since the season of 2013/2014. The Netherlands is the first country in the world to do such a pilot. In various matches last season the association explored to what extent a video replay judge can be an additional tool for the on-field referee. "The first season of the pilot shows that the video referee is of value at an average of three to four major decisions per game. A positive finding", was one of the KNVB's main conclusions. The football association wanted to test a video-assistant in August last year in the promise competition and cup tournament. Teams would get the opportunity to test a major, debatable decision with video footage. This tool is already used in other sports such as hockey, tennis and American football. FIFA's international game rule committee, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) thought the plan was too advanced and gave the KNVB some counter-proposals, NOS reports. The association started working on this and is waiting to hear a final decision of the IFAB on whether they are allowed to test on February 28th. Upon approval the video referee will get an official function in the cup tournament next season.