Video assistant referees came into use at the Under 20s World Cup as they dismissed Argentina forward Lautaro Martinez against England.

The referee Mohammed Abdullah Hassan decided to consult with the panel of assistants watching screens on the side of the pitch after a seemingly innocuous challenge in the 75th minute.

When the replay was analysed at the Jeonju World Cup Stadium, it showed that Martinez had left a trailing elbow on Chelsea starlet Fikayo Tomori.

And Hassan and VAR decided that it was worthy of a straight red card, which he presented to the Racing Club star after around a minute of deliberation.

Credit: Getty Images

It seemed a slightly controversial decision. The replay showed an elbow connected but it was difficult to note any intent from Martinez.

Video assistant referee is now being used! #ARGENG #U20WC

— Nebojša Marković (@MarkovicNeb) May 20, 2017

VAR will be used throughout the competition, with additional officials to be used to support any ‘match-changing’ decisions, such as goals, penalty decisions, red cards and cases of mistaken identity.

The system involves both referees and VARs deciding whether an incident should be reviewed. It is then watched back and a decision is taken by a combination of both or just based on the VARs’ information.

Culled from Mail Sport