ASUNCION, Sept. 8 -- The FIFA World Cup in Russia provided proof that the video assistant referee (VAR) reduces the number of mistakes made by officials, former referee Pierluigi Collina said on Saturday.
This summer's edition of football's showpiece tournament marked the first time that the system was used at a World Cup, having been approved by the game's lawmaking body IFAB in March.
During a VAR workshop at the headquarters of the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) in Paraguay, Collina said the technology had won over most players and fans.
"The implementation of the VAR in the World Cup was a success. The game did not stop much. It was used to correct errors and it must be said that it worked well," said Collina, who is now chairman of FIFA's referees committee.
"And the experience we had was very clear: when the VAR was used, the players in the field accepted the final decision of the referee (...) we will not achieve 100% (effectiveness), but we reduced the margin," the Italian added.
Of the 455 decisions that were referred to VAR in Russia, referees opted to consult a pitchside monitor on 20 occasions and changed their mind 17 times, Collina said.
Among the critics of the system is Barcelona's Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez, who last week complained that the review process slowed the game down.
IFAB secretary general Lukas Brud told attendees at the workshop that the organization is working with FIFA to implement VAR in 50 countries within "four or five years".