Football
Chris Wright, Toe Poke writer 6y

VAR officials to wear full referee kit at World Cup

FIFA have announced that all video assistant referees (VAR) at the 2018 World Cup will wear official match kit during games, despite not actually being inside the stadium.

The VAR will be overseen remotely from a control room in Moscow throughout the tournament and, in a bid to control sweat levels, FIFA is insisting they forgo civilian suits and ties in favour of football shirts and shorts.

"The video match officials will be in front of the television sweating with the stress, it's not possible to go there like a clerk with shirt, tie and jacket," said Pierluigi Collina, head of the FIFA referees' committee.

"They are doing something stressful and that's why we want them wearing the dress code."

VAR will be used during every game out in Russia, with video replays used to double check and verify any contentious decisions flagged up by the main match referee.

Replays and messages will then be relayed on the big screens so fans are kept abreast of what is actually going on.

"We will not be perfect but we are looking for uniformity and consistency -- but it cannot be 100 per cent," said Massimo Busacca, FIFA's head of refereeing.

"It will always be a human interpretation. I am convinced that the scandals of the past we will not see again."

Fingers crossed!

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