Ajax

Video replay reverses referee's call into a red card at Dutch Cup for the first time

Published Nov. 15, 2016 2:38 p.m. ET

foxsports

Video replay has arrived in soccer and it made a big impact during the Dutch Cup knockout game between Ajax and Willem II on Wednesday night.

For the first time in a significant match, video replay is responsible for changing an on-field decision by a referee and Willem II midfielder Anouar Kali has the distinction of being the first player in the Netherlands to be sent off after a video review.

Referee Danny Makkelie initially only cautioned Kali with a yellow card in the 58th minute for sliding into the ankle of Ajax’s Lasse Schone. But within seconds, the card was changed to red after a video review.

Makkelie can be seen listening to something on his headset before he pulls out the red card:

Ajax went onto win, 5-0.

The circumstances in which video replay will be used are supposed to be limited to three main scenarios, according to guidelines from FIFA: red cards, penalty kicks and goals. Video referees can also intervene in cases of mistaken identity.

Both the Dutch Football Association and Major League Soccer have been vocal proponents of video replay and have volunteered to be the first competitions to test it, which FIFA has approved. Australia's A-League, Germany's Bundesliga, Portugal's Liga NOS, and several competitions operated by the Brazilian Football Confederation were also given permission to test out the technology.

Video replay is only being implemented on a trial basis, but if the experiments go well, it could become a permanent fixture in competitions at all levels around the world.