The president of the Italian Football Association (FIGC), Carlo Tavecchio, says Serie A is ready to pioneer the use of in-game replays after being selected by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) for trials.
The 2016-17 season will see video replays used during Italian matches, although there will be no interruptions in play as the new system -- Video Assistant Referees -- will only be tested in an offline state.
It is planned that the system will go into a live phase of testing during the subsequent 2017-18 campaign.
#FIGC selected by #IFAB to test 'Video Assistant Referees' system #Football https://t.co/UWNw5y9jDL pic.twitter.com/WH56v3FV64
- FIGC (@FIGC) April 15, 2016
"We are among the first to support the use of in-match technology," Tavecchio said on the FIGC's website. "And we feel we have all that is required to offer our contribution to this important experiment.
"While respecting the fluidity of the game and the central role played by the referee, innovation is also going to improve the whole system in football, as we have already seen by the adoption of goal line technology."
A meeting between officials from Serie A, Serie B and the Italian Coaches' Association is to be held on April 21 to discuss the IFAB's recommendations and agree on how these can be implemented in the Italian game from next season.
In May the FIGC will then meet to formalise their involvement in the technology, which has been requested by FIFA going forward.
If implemented as planned the use of replays should not interfere with the game, but rather be used in certain occasions to confirm offside decisions and fouls in the event of a goal being scored when there is any contention about its validity.
It may also be used to determine whether a red card should be shown in the event a penalty is awarded, while coaches could be given the opportunity to challenge a certain number of decisions during a match.