France-Italy friendly to feature video-refereeing trial

For the first time in an international match, video refereeing will be implemented when Italy hosts France in Bari on Sept. 1 in a friendly between the continental giants.

FIFA announced the decision Friday after similar attempts in North America have proven successful.

MLS and North America's third-tier division, the United Soccer League (USL), already received approval from the International Football Association Board (IFAB) to try out video review, and USL used it in a match earlier in August.

Related: MLS, USL get go ahead for Video Assistant Referee trials

The experimental technology, known as VAR, employs an additional referee positioned pitch-side. The referee, who's able to view multiple camera angles of play, can alert their match official colleague of four "game altering" calls: direct red cards, mistaken identity, penalty decisions, and goals.

The technology is part of an effort to eliminate contentious refereeing decisions in matches.

"We believe that these additional tests will enable us to refine the experiment protocols and implementation procedures which are key to the success of the forthcoming trials," IFAB secretary Lukas Bird said when IFAB approved the MLS and USL trials.