Fifa make huge shift in policy

The subject of television replays being used to doing improve football has been intensely debated over the last decade. The growing importance of matches has seen refereeing errors take centre stage more often than not. This has in turn put more pressure on referees to deliver accurate results. Fifa, which governs key aspects of the game, has been under the regime of Sepp Blatter for several years. The 78-year-old has rejected the inclusion of technology into the game claiming that it would bring disparity across different levels of the game.
However, Fifa has recently been showing a huge shift in policy after the introduction of goal line technology. The World Cup 2014 also saw the introduction of the vanishing spray in order to prevent abuse of the prescribed distances during set pieces. The overwhelming popularity of such technologies has been clearly evident, as major leagues like the Premier League and the Champions League have instantly adopted such technologies. The Champions League continues to have referees behind the goal, but this has proven not so successful.
The idea of football on TV being used as a way to improve decisions has been floated around. Sepp Blatter has confirmed that Fifa will try this policy in the coming years with low-key matches like the under 20 World Cup being one of the first to get them. Coaches will be able to raise a predetermined number of challenges after watching television replays. "We can try in a youth competition, an Under-20, like next year when we are in New Zealand. It can only be done where there is television coverage of all the matches. Coaches would have the right in the half, twice or once, to challenge a refereeing decision but only when the game is stopped,” said the Fifa president, who recently announced his decision to stand for another term.