Germans see conflict if VAR used at WC

BERLIN, Jan 22 (AFP): Whether the video assistant referee (VAR) will feature at the World Cup finals is yet to be decided, but there are fears the system could spell trouble for Russia 2018. Former FIFA-listed referee Bernd Heynemann feels the VAR needs to be fine-tuned and June's World Cup is too soon. He told German magazine Kicker, it will be "simply impossible with only six to eight weeks of preparation" for refs to use the VAR system successfully during high-pressure World Cup matches. A final decision is expected to be made by FIFA in March. The aim of the VAR system is to eradicate blatant refereeing errors -- for example, Diego Maradona's infamous 'Hand of God' goal at the 1986 World Cup finals. The system is being tested in Germany's Bundesliga and Italy's Serie A this season. Fans complain about long delays leading to confusing -- and in same cases, plain wrong -- decisions made by the VAR during league games. The system has just started being used in some cup games in England and the Spanish league will follow suit for 2018/19.