Award-winning Nigerian coach sets record under new FIFA VAR card rule

The Federation of International Football (FIFA) trialled a new rule during the U-20 World Cup tournament in Chile, and Nigerian coach, Aliyu Zubairu, was a part of that, Soccernet.ng reports.

The Flying Eagles were knocked out in the round of sixteen by Argentina, but their route to the knockout stage saw them awarded two penalties, courtesy of VAR.

FIFA is currently trialling a new rule during the ongoing U-20 competition, allowing coaches of each team to request the intervention of the Video Assistant referee during the game.

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How FIFA's new rule works

Each coach is allowed to make two requests per game, and one of the requests made by Aliyu Zubairu against Colombia in the 85th minute bore fruit, as the on-field referee, Muhammad Nazmi bin Nasaruddin, went to the screen to view a handball situation.

After review, he pointed to the spot after initially waving the decision off. Daniel Bameyi stepped up a minute later to score the penalty, handing Nigeria a point and sending them to the round of 16, where they'll play against Argentina on October 8.

 

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Each opposing manager receives a card, one purple and one blue, which can only be used by the manager or, in their absence, another senior team official.

Additionally, players have the option to request reviews from their managers. Requests for reviews can only be submitted just after the incident has happened.

By spinning their finger in the air and presenting their review request card to the fourth official, a manager can ask for a review.

Instead of the massive multi-camera systems utilised in the major leagues, the FIFA FVS cards are intended for use in games where up to four cameras cover matches.

If a challenge is upheld, the manager would retain two challenges, similar to the rules in cricket and tennis. The challenge would be lost if they were defeated.

As per BBC UK, FIFA states that the system “is used only in the event of a possible clear and obvious error, or serious missed incident in relation to the following scenarios, such as goal/no goal, penalty/no penalty or direct red cards (not second cautions)”.

“FVS is a tool to support referees in competitions with fewer resources and cameras. It should not be seen as VAR or as a modified version of it, as it does not include video match officials monitoring every incident,” said chairman of the Fifa Referees committee Pierluigi Collina, adding they were “encouraged” by initial results.

Whether FIFA will implement this new rule in larger competitions is currently unknown, but it appears the introduction has yielded results at the U-20 World Cup.