Referee makes history by announcing VAR decision to crowd at Women’s World Cup | OneFootball

FIFA Women's World Cup history was made today as referee Yoshimi Yamashita announced a VAR decision to spectators in attendance during the opening match between New Zealand and Norway.

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The incident occurred in the 86th minute of the contest when Tuva Hansen appeared to handle the ball inside the Norway area, and after a check, the decision to award the penalty was made with the Japanese official then announcing it to the crowd. The announcement was received by a thunderous response, with New Zealand afforded the chance to double their lead and seal the result.

The subsequent penalty was missed, but the occasion is still a momentous one, as it's only the third time a referee has announced a VAR decision like this to spectators in the ground. The method had been trialled in both the Club World Cup and in a youth tournament, as fans have long called for better consistency and communication in regards to VAR and the way it has been deployed.

One of the major issues football fans have had with the system since it was brought into the sport several years ago was the confusion surrounding how decisions were made and the lack of communication from the officials calling the shots to those watching the events unfold.

Having referees announce the decisions to fans in attendance and by default, those watching at home, offers a step in the right direction and adds a voice to the decisions being made, so hopefully this will lead to stronger communication and less confusion in terms of the process that goes into some of the calls made. Whether fans are into the idea yet remains to be seen, but one man who was clearly thrilled with the historic occasion was former Arsenal striker Ian Wright.

What did Ian Wright think of the moment?

The former striker was ecstatic about the way in which the situation was handled and is clearly in favour of referees taking more accountability and announcing the VAR decisions to the spectators more often going forward.

In a video he shared on his Twitter profile, Wright, who has always been a vocal advocate for women's football, looked giddy after the event and spoke about how much he liked the incident. He even mimicked the event in glee, showing just how into the whole process he was.

Football fans very rarely like change, but with VAR as contentious and controversial as it has been, there have been calls to improve the system numerous times over the last few years, so if this helps sure up some of the inconsistencies that have been seen so far since its introduction, then there won't be a single complaint about the new method.

Premier League or any of Europe's elite football leagues for that matter, but with the positive response aimed at today's historic moment so far, don't be surprised if it's sooner rather than later.