Soccer's rule makers set to approve video replay trials

CARDIFF, Wales (AP) — The first week of Gianni Infantino's FIFA presidency is set to end with soccer further embracing technology once blocked by Sepp Blatter.

Four years after the International Football Association Board approved technology to rule on disputed goals, the rule-making body is due to experiment with in-game video replay systems on Saturday at its annual meeting.

Major League Soccer, the Bundesliga and the English Football Association all want to be part of the pilot phase.

The use of video would be restricted to referees ruling on whether a goal has been scored, a penalty should be awarded, a player should be sent off or cases of mistaken identity.

"It's a fundamental decision, something we've debating for many, many years," Football Association of Wales chief executive Jonathan Ford, who is hosting and chairing the IFAB meeting, said in a recent interview. "Ultimately, it could lead to referees being assisted by video."

FIFA controls half of the eight votes on IFAB, which also features the four British federations. A motion requires at least six votes to be approved.

It is Infantino's first major meeting since winning last Friday's presidential election. In a sign of changing times at FIFA, the former UEFA general secretary shunned the private jets favored by Blatter to fly to Britain on a low-cost airline.

Saturday's meeting will also sign off a complete new set of football laws. The existing 22,000-word document has been almost halved in length as repetition has been removed and inconsistencies resolved.

Among the changes , the ball will be allowed to go in any direction at kickoff, more players will be permitted treatment on the field and referees will be urged to apply more common sense.