Fifa will use video assistance on trial bases to support referees decisions for the first time in a competition at the Fifa Club World Cup Japan 2016 tournament, which started on Thursday. This is a big step forward for football’s world governing body, which has resisted the use of video assistance that most major sporting codes — including cricket, rugby and tennis — have adopted. Scandal-hit former Fifa boss Sepp Blatter opposed the use of video technology in the sport because he said it would break the flow of the game. The Club World Cup, a tournament between the champion clubs from each of the six continental confederations, might not have the gravitas of the Fifa World Cup, but testing the technology at this level is a move in the right direction, according to Fifa’s chief officer for technical development, Marco van Basten. Mamelodi Sundowns is representing Africa at the tournament. "It’s important to remember that we are entering somewhat uncharted territory here, given that...
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