Bundesliga to use video refs in 2017/18 - head ref

Berlin : The German league is set to introduce video assistant referees for the start of the 2017/18 season, according to Helmut Krug, manager for the German Football League (DFL) referees.

"If everything works like it should, we'll go 'online' for the start of the 2017/18 season," said Krug, a former FIFA referee, was quoted as saying by SID, an AFP subsidiary.

"There will be a link established between the referee and a video assistant.

"The video assistant will have the possibility of influencing the decisions of the referee."

The assistant video referee will help officials during difficult decisions such as penalties, free-kicks and offside rulings.

The technology is currently being tested in Germany and trialled at the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB), an independent body, approved video technology testing in March to be carried out over a two-year period.

Several countries including France, Australia, Germany, Brazil, Italy, Portugal and the Netherlands have been selected to conduct the tests.

At a training centre in Cologne, Bundesliga referees are using the system by replaying controversial scenes in past games -- 'offline' -- and the DFL hope to use it 'online' for the start of next season.

"We're still training all the referees and we've gone through the two training modules offline," said Krug.

"Now we have to go through the whole thing 'online' out on the pitch."

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has said he is in favour of introducing video refereeing for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

The move to bring in video technology follows the widespread introduction of goal-line technology, which was used at the 2014 World Cup and this year's Champions League and Europa League finals.