CARDIFF: England and Germany will be going head to head in offering to undertake competitive experiments in with video assistance for referees.

Representatives of the four British home associations and world federation FIFA agreed last month to recommend that next month’s annual meeting of the law-making International Football Association Board in Cardiff approve ‘going live’ with trials.

The Dutch federation had already led the way in unoffical experimentation but last spring IFAB delayed a decision on official trials pending further discussion – which has now been undertaken with a positive outcome.

Decisions which are liked to fall within the purview of the experiments are expected to be goals, red cards, penalties and identification issues.

A minimum six votes out of eight within IFAB can signal the go-ahead for trials in different competitions around the world.

Martin Glenn, chief executive of the Football Association, has described it “big supporters of the use of technology” and is expected to propose testing it in next season’s FA Cup.

The German league has upped the ante by proposing the Bundesliga as a testing ground.

A DFL statement said: “Together with DFB, DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga will be lodging an application with FIFA to participate in the pilot phase of the use of video replays provided that IFAB approves this on March 5.

“DFL’s management board passed this resolution unanimously today in Frankfurt/Main. On this basis, a two-year pilot phase is to be implemented for Bundesliga matches.”

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