FIFA president Gianni Infantino described referees as "heroes" and urged Premier League officials to start using pitch-side monitors before making key decisions involving VAR. Infantino told Sky Sports News he was unaware that Premier League referees have not been making the final call on VAR decisions.
The FIFA chief lauded the "difficult" work of referees on the pitch but encouraged them to "accept the help" of pitch-side monitors to enable them to play a more active role in the VAR process. Infantino told SSN chief reporter Bryan Swanson: "The job of the referee is so difficult, these guys are heroes, we are all criticising them so let's help them and they have to accept the help. They have a safety net when they are not sure or when somebody who sees the images telling them to go and check. They should go and check." Despite VAR's controversial start in the Premier League, Infantino says the system is helping football and as the technology improves, so too will the game. "VAR is making [football] more just and clean and if we have to wait one minute or two minutes, we have a game-changing decision which is taken correctly instead of wrongly. Of course, VAR will improve, will develop, and will have
automatised offside because that's what technology will give us today or tomorrow. Offside and handball are these two situations which we need to constantly analyse and see how we can and if we can, these are difficult topics."
