Sepp Blatter has said a football TV referral system may be trialled in 2015, allowing coaches to challenge a referee’s decision for the first time ever.
The Fifa president, who also revealed while speaking on video link at Manchester’s Soccerex conference that he will stand for a fifth term in his current position, said the trials would likely happen at next year’s Under-20 World Cup in New Zealand.
The trial would see managers for each side able to challenge at least one official decision each half, possibly two, and will only be able to be done where all matches receive television coverage.
The on-field referee will still have the final call on whether or not to change the decision, but the use of video technology will allow him to look at it in greater detail.
The idea is similar to the of the National Football League (NFL) where each team’s coach is allowed two opportunities per game to make a coach's challenge, a system used in American Football in its current format since 1999.
During the wide-ranging interview, Blatter also said that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will have to be played in winter despite fierce opposition and a consultation has started with the players' union FIFPro, clubs, leagues and the six continental federations about moving the ever more controversial tournament, while also stating that a boycott of the 2018 World Cup in Russia would not work or have any benefit.
Speaking on his intention to seek a fifth term as Fifa president, Blatter said he would make an official announcement at Fifa’s executive committee meeting on 25 and 26 of September.
"I got through the last congress in Sao Paulo not only the impression but the support of the majority, a huge majority of national associations asking: 'Please go on, be our president also in future,” said Blatter, who has the support from five of six continental bodies, with only Europe opposing his presidency.
The vote is scheduled for 29 May in Zurich, with the only other candidate so far being the former Fifa international relations director Jerome Champagne.
