FIFA have made a major VAR change for the World Cup quarter-finals following a series of controversial last-16 clashes.
The governing body will now station VAR officials inside the stadium for every remaining match of the tournament rather than operating solely from its central hub in Dallas, Texas.
The move comes after a number of ill-tempered knockout ties sparked debate over refereeing decisions, with some fans taking to social media to make unfounded claims that matches had been “fixed”.
France‘s quarter-final against Morocco in Boston will be the first game to use the new system.
Until now, all VAR decisions have been handled from FIFA‘s Video Operation Room at the International Broadcast Centre (IBC) in Dallas.
But FIFA has decided to place both the VAR and a reserve VAR official at the stadium as an added safeguard against any potential technical issues.
Uruguayan official Leodan Gonzalez will serve as the VAR for Thursday’s clash, while Nicaraguan Tatiana Guzman will be the reserve VAR on site.
Should there be any loss of communication between the stadium and the Dallas operations centre, the officials in Boston will be able to continue reviewing incidents without disrupting the match.
The system also ensures the referee can still carry out on-field reviews at the pitchside monitor if required.
FIFA regulations state that a match cannot be suspended because of VAR technology failures.
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The knockout stages of the World Cup are hotting up as we head towards the business end of the tournament.
England believe football might finally be coming home after 60 years of hurt, with Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham on fire.
But the likes of France, Spain and Argentina are all serious contenders to go all the way.
Heavyweights Germany, Netherlands, Brazil and Portugal have all been knocked out.
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As a result, football‘s governing body has introduced the extra layer of protection to minimise the risk of technical problems affecting matches during the closing stages of the tournament.
Thursday’s quarter-final will also feature an experienced South American officiating team.
Argentine referee Facundo Tello has been appointed to take charge of the contest.
He will be assisted by fellow Argentinians Juan Pablo Belatti and Gabriel Chade.
Dario Herrera and Cristian Navarro have been named as the fourth and fifth officials respectively.
The winner of France’s showdown with Morocco will book a place in the World Cup semi-finals.
They will face whoever comes through the other quarter-final between Spain and Belgium.
With the stakes higher than ever, FIFA will be hoping the new VAR setup ensures the focus remains firmly on the football rather than the officiating.
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