Refereeing Council vice-president João Ferreira in session with the media on the Video Assistant Referee

The Portuguese Football Federation hosted a questions and answer session with the press this week on the Video Assistant Referee, set to be introduced into Portuguese professional football (Liga NOS).

João Ferreira was on hand to explain the technology: "We don't want the Video Assistant Referee to be involved a lot, but when it does then it must benefit the game as much as possible." The system will be focused on four areas: goals (all goals will be analysed), penalties, direct red cards (red cards for two bookable offences will not be included) and the erroneous identification of a payer.

All stadiums will be linked up to an operations centre hosted in Portugal's City of Football, with the capacity to analyse four matches simultaneously by a team of 22 assistants.

"The idea is for things to carry on as normal, but knowing that everything is being looked at. The referee will ask for assistance (by signalling the shape of a rectangle in the air, in the shape of a television) and the players or coaches cannot interfere in the decision. Players or coaches cannot ask for a situation to be reviewed", explained João Ferreira.

The system will debut in the Portuguese Cup final, ahead of its full implementation for the 2017/18 Liga NOS season.

Jorge Jesus on the early kick-off, his possible starting XI and the video assistant referee

The kick-off time was inevitably the focus of questions in this Saturday's pre-match press conference, with Sporting CP hosting cross-town rivals Os Belenenses at 11h45.

"This will be a different match because we are playing in the morning, but the fans have turned out anyway and it will be a sell out. It is Mother's Day as well, so it will be nice occasion. Sporting CP is playing some really attractive football right now and although we are a way off our objectives, the fans are showing they believe in the future. This is a Lisbon derby and although Belenenses aren't doing very well in the league it will be a hard fought game. I remember the game last year, when William Carvalho won it for us with a penalty in the last minute", opened Jorge Jesus in his meeting with the press.

The absence of Gelson Martins, Daniel Podence and Alan Ruiz was largely brushed off by the Alvalade coach, who has other options available: "Results define the team I use. Belenenses will be relaxed and I am sure they are feeling confident, but of course we have done what we have to do on the training pitch. We shifted our training times a bit, but physically nothing really changed. Francisco Geraldes could come in for us, just like João Palhinha and Podence have, if I think that is the best decision. Strategically having a few players out makes a difference, but our overall system will be the same."

Sporting CP announced the signing of André Pinto this week and Jesus was keen to highlight the importance of the new Alvalade acquisition: "Having André with us is important for Sporting CP. He hasn't been working with the first team, so bringing him over earlier means we can help him get into form. He is with us already, thanks to the great relationship that exists between Sporting CP and Sporting de Braga”.

Jorge Jesus finished with a world of praise for the introduction of the video assistant referee for next season's league campaign: "Both Sporting CP and the Portuguese Football Federation deserve to be congratulated for this decision. the video assistant referee is really important for Portuguese football. We have great coaches and clubs in this country, but we don't have the financial resources others do and it is important that we are on the cutting edge of technology. It won't fix everything, but it will certainly help."

Bruno de Carvalho reflects on the introduction of the video-referee

The Portuguese Football Federation and and Portuguese Football League have officially announced that the video assistant referee will be used in national championship matches in 2017/2018.

For president Bruno de Carvalho, the decision is a welcome one following the club's proposal over recent seasons: "Today will go down in history. People are listening to those who have been defending the idea of the video assistant referee for a long time now. We are don't expect this to fix everything, but it will avoid some of the biggers errors, which Sporting CP has consistently been on the receiving end of. Football is changing."

Visiting the Santa Maria Sporting Supporters' Club in the Azores, the Alvalade leader was understandably happy with the announcement: "History is proving us right. Funds are banned and their is a real revolution going on in UEFA and FIFA, with new technology helping to give credibility. Everything that certain people were saying has proven not to be true. Clubs haven't gone bankrupt without funds and the video assistant referee isn't just the idea of a populist. My vision for Sporting CP and football in general was right."

FIFA president Gianni Infantino speaks on the closing day of the Football Talks conference

FIFA president Gianni Infantino was another one of the speakers invited for the last day of the Football Talks conference this week, adding his contribution to the dominant topic of technology in sport.

"After maybe 50 years, we have decided to test the Video Assistant Referee. I was skeptical at first and I was worried that it would interrupt the fluidity of the game, but that doesn't happen. Instead it helps referees to make the right decisions. We all know in a matters of seconds that a referee has made mistake when we are watching at home. Now we can help. We want to bring transparency and justice to football", said the FIFA leader, finishing: "We want to use the Video Assistant Referee at the World CUp. We are testing the system and in March 2018 we will make a definite decision. I feel really confident about it."

Pierluigi Collina affirms the role of technology in football

The retired referee Pierluigi Collina spoke at the Football Talks conference this Friday, defending technology as a crucial step in football for bringing greater transparency to the game.

"We can working better preparing referees, but even that way we cannot compete with this technology. We live in a world where we are surrounded by technology and we cannot avoid it", opened Collina, going on to remember a disallowed goal in the Ukraine vs. England encounter at Euro 2012: "There were some criticisms that the referee was not capable of seeing if the ball crossed the line. Technology proves it did by 2.2 centimeters. 2.2! That is not a margin for humans, but for technology."

To finish, Collina highlighted the importance of preparing referees for officiating over the teams they are allocated: "Every match is different and the referee has to understand the game he/she is refereeing. That way there are no surprises. We have to know about the characteristics of the players, how the teams play and how dead-ball situations will be."

IFAB Technical Director David Elleray on the introduction of the Video Assistant Referee