From the start of next season, English footballs top womens’ competition, the FA Super league, will begin to use a system of video assistant referees, known as VAR, after a week in which multiple mistakes by referees and match officials spotlighted the failings of the current methods. The chairmen of all 11 competing clubs had been due to make a decision on VAR in a years time, but they brought that forward at a meeting in London yesterday in which they unanimously agreed to ask the permission of FIFA to use the system from next season.

The fallout from a wrongly-allowed goal scored by Charlotte Austin for Everton against Yeovil at the weekend appears to have accelerated the decision.

Edward Pierce, Yeovils manager, queried why the FA-WSL hadnt brought VAR in earlier, saying: “It amazes me they didn’t bring it in at the start of this season or even earlier.”