Gianni Infantino hopes to see video technology used at 2018 World Cup

MOSCOW - FIFA boss Gianni Infantino said on Tuesday he hoped that the 2018 World Cup in Russia could become the first to see video technology used to assist match officials.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB), which governs the rules of the game, approved testing of the technology in March.

"This test video will start now and will take two years. This means that by March 2018 we will see if it works or not," Infantino said during a visit to Moscow to check on preparations for the 2018 tournament.

"I really hope that the World Cup in Russia will be the first World Cup where video refereeing is used to make refereeing maybe better."

The trials will allow referees to call on video assistance to help determine four categories of game-changing moments - goals scored, red cards, penalties and mistaken identity.

In the experiments, a video assistant referee will have access to video replays during matches and will either review an incident on request or communicate with the referee proactively about an incident that may have been missed by the officials on the field of play.

In March IFAB had agreed to carry out experiments over a two-year period starting no later than the 2017-18 season, although that has now been brought forward meaning a final decision on whether to adopt the technology permanently could be taken before the 2018 World Cup.