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Argentina legend Diego Maradona backs VAR despite 'Hand of God'

Diego Maradona has told FIFA's official website that his "Hand of God" goal at the 1986 World Cup would have been instantly disallowed if the video assistant referee (VAR) system had existed then.

Maradona -- who punched the ball into the England net for the opening goal as Argentina won 2-1 -- has backed the use of VAR, which was trialled at this summer's Confederations Cup.

Telling FIFA that football "can't fall behind," he added: "Given the rate at which technology is advancing and the fact that every sport uses it, how can we not think about using it in football?"

And he said it would have meant his 1986 goal, one of the most controversial in football history, would never have been allowed.

"Obviously I think about it whenever I show my support for the use of technology," he added.

"I thought about it and, sure, that goal wouldn't have stood if technology had been around.

"And I'll tell you something else -- at the 1990 World Cup I used my hand to clear the ball off the line against the Soviet Union.

"We were lucky because the referee didn't see it. You couldn't use technology back then, but it's a different story today."

But Argentina legend Maradona added that his was not the only moment in football history that would have changed with the use of technology.

"Let's not forget that England won the World Cup in '66 with a shot that didn't go over the line," he said.

"There have been lots of incidents where World Cup history would have been different if technology had been used. It's time to change all that."