Pierluigi Collina, head of FIFA’s refereeing committee, confirmed that the use of VAR is one of the biggest changes in football history.

“Now he has become part of the fabric of our sport, and it’s hard to imagine football without him,” said Collina.

“I remember when we first discussed such a technique at the board meeting of the International Football Association in Belfast in 2014, and we first considered this idea,” said the Italian referee.

“At the time it seemed like a dream, but it only took two years to realize it at the highest level of football,” Collina said.

“VAR technology has only been used in a few countries and very few match officials have had extensive experience with this technology,” he said.

“But we worked hard and the technology at the 2018 World Cup was a huge success. Everyone who doubted it was disappointed.”

Roland Hobeika.