MOSCOW – Football's ruling body FIFA early Sunday expressed
satisfaction with the first Video Assistant Referee (VAR) decisions
at the World Cup.
A spokesman spoke of "very satisfactory" decisions, saying: "It all
went the way it was supposed to. We hope it continues like this."
On Saturday, Uruguay referee Andres Cunha awarded France a penalty in
their 2-1 victory over Australia after consulting with the video
referee and looking at replays on a pitch-side monitor.
The system was also used in the Denmark versus Peru game by Gambian
referee Papa Bakary Gassama, leading to Denmark's game-winning spot
kick.
VAR is being used at a World Cup for the first time, but it was also
used at last year's Confederations Cup and the Club World Cup. It has
also been tested in various leagues, including the German Bundesliga
and Italian Serie A.