Paul Ince might not like it but the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system is clearly the future of football.

As we saw during last month’s international friendly between France and Spain, the technology can clearly benefit football.

Antoine Griezmann had a goal correctly ruled out while Gerard Deulofeu was awarded a goal after the assistant referee incorrectly raised his flag for offside. The technology is designed to help match officials and it clearly works.

There’s a chance VAR could be used in English football as early as August, while the system could also be in place at next summer’s World Cup finals in Russia.

Australia’s A-League became the first domestic competition to trial the system this weekend, although it wasn’t required for Melbourne City’s 1-0 win over Adelaide United.

History is made

It was, however, used during Saturday’s match between Wellington Phoenix and Sydney.

The referee failed to spot a handball inside the penalty area following a corner, much to the disbelief of the Sydney players.

They surrounded referee Shaun Evans while simultaneously getting back to defend their opponents’ counter-attack.

When one of the Wellington players was flagged for offside, Evans consulted the VAR to find out whether infringement had occurred.

Of course, it had, and Sydney were correctly awarded a penalty from which they scored.

Video: A-League becomes first league to use VAR

Watch the incident here…

Reaction on Twitter

Here’s the reaction on Twitter…