Editing Instant replay (section)

===Association football===
{{main|Video assistant referee}}
[[File:Colo-Colo v Palestino 20200128 03.jpg|thumb|right|VAR monitor at the [[Estadio Monumental David Arellano]]]]
[[File:VAR AVAR.jpg|thumb|right|Assistant video assistant referees in action during a [[Saudi Professional League]] match]]
[[File:Baldomero Toledo checks VAR - Seattle Sounders vs. Sporting Kansas City.jpg|thumb|right|A [[Major League Soccer]] referee reviewing a play using a sideline monitor]]
[[File:VAR decision.jpg|thumb|A VAR decision during an FA Cup match at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester.]]
In [[association football]], [[FIFA]] did not formally permit video evidence during matches until the [[2018 FIFA World Cup]], although it had been on trial in various competitions beforehand, and it was permitted for subsequent disciplinary sanctions.<ref>
{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2005/jan/05/newsstory.sport8 |title=Fifa rules out video evidence |date=5 January 2005|work=The Guardian |access-date=29 November 2009 | location=London}}
</ref><ref name=varwc/> The 1970 meeting of the [[International Football Association Board]] "agreed to request the television authorities to refrain from any slow-motion play-back which reflected, or might reflect, adversely on any decision of the referee".<ref>
{{cite web|url=http://ssbra.org/html/laws/IFABarc/pdf/1970/1970min.pdf |title=Minutes of the AGM |author=IFAB |publisher=Soccer South Bay Referee Association |location=Inverness |date=27 June 1970 |access-date=29 November 2009 |page=§5(i) |no-pp=y|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430093219/http://ssbra.org/html/laws/IFABarc/pdf/1970/1970min.pdf |archive-date=30 April 2011 }}
</ref> In 2005, Urs Linsi, general secretary of FIFA, said:<ref>
{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=104/edition=9102/news/newsid=98070.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100810224251/http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=104/edition=9102/news/newsid=98070.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 10, 2010 |title=Urs Linsi: We expect another great success this year |date=10 June 2005 |publisher=FIFA |access-date=29 November 2009 }}
</ref>
:Players, coaches and referees all make mistakes. It's part of the game. It's what I would call the "first match". What you see after the fact on video simply doesn't come into it; that's the "second match", if you like. Video evidence is useful for disciplinary sanctions, but that's all. As we've always emphazised at FIFA, football's human element must be retained. It mirrors life itself and we have to protect it.

There have been allegations that referees had made or changed decisions on the advice of a [[fourth official]] who had seen the in-stadium replay of an incident. This was denied by FIFA in relation to the [[2006 FIFA World Cup Final#Zidane sending off|Zidane headbutt of Materazzi in the 2006 World Cup final]],<ref>
{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2006/jul/12/worldcup2006.sport1 |title=Materazzi joins Zidane as target of Fifa inquiry |last=Scott |first=Matt |date=12 July 2006 |work=The Guardian |access-date=29 November 2009 |quote=Fifa has strongly denied allegations that the Argentinian referee Horacio Elizondo had missed the incident and dismissed the France captain only after the fourth official alerted him on seeing a television replay. | location=London}}
</ref> and in relation to the [[2009 FIFA Confederations Cup]] match between [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]] and [[Egypt national football team|Egypt]], in which [[Howard Webb]] signaled initially for a [[corner kick]] but then a [[Penalty kick (association football)|penalty kick]].<ref>
{{cite news |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2009/jun/16/howard-webb-penalty-brazil-egypt-confederations-cup |title=Fifa rejects Egypt protest over Howard Webb penalty decision |date=16 June 2009 |access-date=29 November 2009 | location=London}}
</ref><ref>
{{cite news |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2009/jun/18/howard-webb-confederations-cup |title=Fifa removes sideline monitors after Howard Webb penalty row in Confederations Cup |date=18 June 2009 |access-date=29 November 2009 | location=London}}
</ref>

It has been said that instant replay is needed given the difficulty of tracking the activities of 22 players on such a large field,<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.wired.com/epicenter/2009/11/soccer-resists-the-instant-replay-despite-criticism/ |title=Soccer Resists Instant Replay Despite Criticism |date=November 30, 2009 |last=Van Buskirk |first=Eliot |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |access-date=May 24, 2011}}</ref> FIFA officials approached researchers at the [[University of Glasgow in Scotland]] for help, but came up with nothing that could satisfy the league's stringent requirements.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.cnet.com/2100-1008_3-6084911.html |title=World Cup soccer loves to hate high tech |last=Borland |first=John |date=June 19, 2006 |work=[[CNET.com]] |access-date=May 24, 2011}}</ref> Opponents of instant replay like former FIFA President [[Sepp Blatter]] argue that refereeing mistakes add to the "fascination and popularity of football."<ref name="cbc.ca">{{cite news |work=CBC Sports |url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/fifa-halts-instant-replay-experiment-1.695604 |title= FIFA halts instant replay experiment |date=8 March 2008 |access-date=28 June 2010}}</ref> It has been proposed that instant replay be limited to use in penalty incidents, fouls which lead to bookings or red cards and whether the ball has crossed the goal line, since those events are more likely than others to be game-changing.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/gabriele_marcotti/09/25/replay/#ixzz0rLxI0iY7 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100627014906/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/gabriele_marcotti/09/25/replay/#ixzz0rLxI0iY7 | url-status=dead | archive-date=June 27, 2010 | work=CNN | title=Instant replay may be a good idea, but it's a tricky one - Gabriele Marcotti - SI.com | date=25 September 2008}}</ref>

In 2007, FIFA authorized tests of two systems, one involving an implanted chip in the ball and the other using a modified version of Tennis's [[Hawk-Eye]] system, to assist referees in deciding whether a ball had crossed over the goal line.<ref>{{cite news |work=The Times |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article2274405.ece |archive-url=https://archive.today/20110523230019/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article2274405.ece |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 23, 2011 |title=Hawk-Eye set to extend its influence to contested goals | date=17 August 2007 | access-date=28 June 2010 | location=London | first=Matt | last=Dickinson}}</ref> The following year, however, the [[IFAB]] and [[FIFA]] halted testing of all [[goal-line technology]], fearing that its success would lead to its possible expansion to other parts of the game. [[Sepp Blatter]] claimed the technologies were flawed and too expensive to be implemented on a widespread basis, adding, "Let it be as it is and let's leave (soccer) with errors. The television companies will have the right to say (the referee) was right or wrong, but still the referee makes the decision — a man, not a machine". This sudden change of course surprised and angered Paul Hawkins, as the inventor of the Hawk-Eye system had invested a great deal of money into adapting the Hawk-Eye technology to football.<ref name="cbc.ca"/> In 2009, Hawkins sent an open letter to Blatter refuting the FIFA president's assertion that the Hawk-Eye goal line technology was flawed and arguing that Hawk-Eye met all of the criteria established by the IFAB for a suitable goal line technology system.<ref>{{cite web |title=Open Letter | author=Dr. Paul Hawkins |date=22 September 2009 | url=http://www.hawkeyeinnovations.co.uk/files/FifaOpenLetter.pdf |access-date=28 June 2010}}</ref>

The controversy over goal line technology was re-ignited in 2009 after Brazil had a potential equalizing goal disallowed during the 2009 Confederations Cup Final; and during the 2010 FIFA World Cup after England's Frank Lampard's shot off the underside of the crossbar during a 4–1 defeat against Germany was not ruled a goal, despite replays clearly showing it was 60 centimeters over the line.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.sportsfeatures.com/soccernews/story/45368/kaka-goal-ramps-up-debate-over-hawk-eyes-role-in-football |work=Sports Features Communications |title=Kaka 'goal' ramps up debate over Hawk-Eye's role in football |date=29 June 2009 |access-date=28 June 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716122227/http://www.sportsfeatures.com/soccernews/story/45368/kaka-goal-ramps-up-debate-over-hawk-eyes-role-in-football |archive-date=16 July 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=An Obvious Case for Instant Replay |work=New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/28/sports/soccer/28replay.html |date=27 June 2010 |access-date=28 June 2010 | first=George | last=Vecsey}}</ref>

In July 2012, [[International Football Association Board]] voted unanimously to officially amend the Laws of the Game to permit (but not require) goal-line technology.<ref name=IFABofficial>{{cite web|title=IFAB makes three unanimous historic decisions|url=https://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/news/y=2012/m=7/news=ifab-makes-three-unanimous-historic-decisions-1660541.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150507234418/http://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/news/y=2012/m=7/news=ifab-makes-three-unanimous-historic-decisions-1660541.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 7, 2015|website=FIFA.com|publisher=FIFA|access-date=23 April 2015}}</ref> The technology was used at the [[2014 FIFA World Cup]].<ref>{{cite news|title=France 3-0 Honduras|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/25285092|access-date=15 June 2014|work=[[BBC Sport]]|date=15 June 2014}}</ref>

In April 2016, it was announced that [[Serie A]] was selected by the [[International Football Association Board]] to test video replays, which were initially private for the [[2016–17 Serie A|2016–17 season]], allowing them to become a live pilot phase, with replay assistance implemented in the [[2017–18 Serie A|2017–18 season]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.football-italia.net/103940/serie-will-start-var|title=Serie A will start with VAR|publisher=Football Italia|date=10 June 2017|access-date=10 June 2017}}</ref> On the decision, FIGC President [[Carlo Tavecchio]] said, "We were among the first supporters of using technology on the pitch and we believe we have everything required to offer our contribution to this important experiment".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/serie-selected-ifab-test-video-replay/|title=Serie A selected by IFAB to test video replay|publisher=sportsnet.ca|date=14 April 2016|access-date=15 April 2016}}</ref>

In September 2016, the video review system known as [[Video assistant referee|Video Assistant Referees]] (VAR), was first used in an international friendly between Italy and France. The system was implemented at a [[FIFA World Cup]] for the first time at the [[2018 FIFA World Cup]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/09/02/video-replays-used-for-first-time-during-frances-3-1-friendly-wi/|title=Video replays used for first time during France's 3-1 friendly win over Italy as 'football history' made|newspaper=The Telegraph|publisher=telegraph.co.uk|date=2 September 2016|access-date=15 October 2016|last1=Rumsby|first1=Ben}}</ref><ref name=varwc>{{Cite web | title = How VAR made history with penalty for France | first = Dale | last = Johnson | publisher = ESPN | date = 16 June 2018 | access-date = 16 June 2018 | url = http://www.espn.com/soccer/world-cup-soccer/story/3528392/how-var-made-history-with-penalty-awarded-to-france-against-australia}}</ref>

[[Major League Soccer]] in the [[United States]] introduced VAR in competitive matches during its [[2017 Major League Soccer season|2017 season]] after the [[2017 MLS All-Star Game]] on 2 August 2017.<ref>{{cite news |last=Borg |first=Simon |date=10 December 2016 |title=MLS will seek to introduce Video Assistant Referees (VAR) during 2017 |url=http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2016/12/10/mls-will-seek-introduce-video-assistant-referees-var-during-2017 |publisher=[[Major League Soccer]] |access-date=19 December 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Goldberg |first=Jamie |date=14 March 2017 |title=MLS leads the way among soccer leagues worldwide as it prepares to roll out video replay |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/timbers/index.ssf/2017/03/mls_leads_the_way_in_rolling_o.html |work=[[The Oregonian]] |access-date=15 March 2017}}</ref>