Video assistance for referees "could be approved for use worldwide from 2018 if all goes well with the test project being pioneered by the Dutch football federation," according to Keir Radnedge of WORLD SOCCER. KNVB Operations Dir Gijs De Jong "made his confident prediction at the Soccerex Global Convention in Manchester." De Jong "was supported in his enthusiasm for the project by Howard Webb, England’s 2010 World Cup referee." Fears of inflicting an irrevocable change on the free-flowing nature of the game of association football "has underscored all talk of technological help for match officials." UEFA President Michel Platini "remains a staunch opponent of technological aides of any sort." Platini's warnings about the introduction of goal-line technology being the “first step on a slippery slope” have been "vindicated by the unofficial Dutch experiment" which has been running for two years. But De Jong insisted that "the spirit of fair play could only be enhanced by ensuring referees could make correct decisions." He said, “I am sure we will see video assistance in the Premier League in a few years. No doubt. We are very confident about the process. IFAB has said that it needs further consideration and that’s where we are now” (WORLD SOCCER, 9/8).
