The widely-divisive Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology will be used in a domestic football match for the first time in Finland later this month.
A VAR official will be on hand to review the referee's on-field decisions during both semi-finals of this year's Finnish Cup, and the system will also be used in the cup final as well as during the latter stages of the Veikkausliiga season.
The introduction follows a trial carried out earlier this summer during the Helsinki Cup, a youth football tournament held in the Finnish capital every summer.
The VAR's role is to assist the referee by using video footage to review decisions, and provide advice to the on-field official based on those reviews.
The technology was intended to eradicate "clear and obvious errors" as well as "serious missed incidents" from the game's officiating, but it has become a source of frustration for players and fans alike due to some high-profile mistakes, a perceived lack of consistency, and the length of time it sometimes takes to reach a decision.
"This is a project for the whole of Finnish football, not just referees," Mattias Gestranius of the Finnish FA said. "It will make Finnish football fairer."
VAR will be used for a total of 11 matches in Finland this season, with this figure increasing "by a few games" next year, Gestranius said, as the Finnish FA looks to implement the system in a controlled manner.
The technology has been used in Finland previously, with some notable controversy.
During a Europa League qualifying game between HJK Helsinki and Roma at the Bolt Arena in October 2022, the VAR intervened to rule out David Browne's long-range strike — labelled by one sports website as the "greatest disallowed goal ever".
Finnish referee Heini Hyvönen told Yle she is well aware of the debate around the technology, but believes it can be a benefit for the sport if used correctly.
"Everyone wants the right decisions to be made. However, it is not possible for the human eye to see everything on the field of play," she said.
Hyvönen was one of a group of 10 Finnish referees who went to Norway last year to undergo VAR training, as the Finnish FA prepares to introduce the technology for domestic games. She added that she hopes she can build up enough experience as a VAR to officiate at next year's European Championship finals in Switzerland.
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