Emirati Mohammed Abdullah Hassan historically used the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) referral for the first time at a FIFA youth tournament on Saturday when he belatedly decided to dismiss Argentina’s Lautaro Martinez during a 3-0 U-20 World Cup defeat to England.

Racing Club forward Martinez, 19, was involved in a seemingly-innocuous clash with Chelsea defender Fikayo Tomori in the 75th minute. After approximately 60 seconds spent reviewing footage of the incident with a panel of assistants on the side of the pitch at South Korea’s Jeonju World Cup Stadium, a call was then made by the UAE referee to issue a red card for a swinging elbow.

VAR is to be trialled throughout the competition, which had its opening day on Saturday.

The additional officials will help to offer support on four kinds of ‘match-changing’ decisions; goals, penalties, red card incidents and player identity. They will have access to the broadcast feeds inside the video operations room, enabling them to provide the referee on the pitch with information.

A previous high-profile use of the system saw ex-Spain striker David Villa sent off for a punch during February’s pre-season Desert Diamond Cup, while playing for New York City FC.

Saturday’s decision helped England to end a 20-year wait for another U-20 World Cup win. Everton forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Newcastle United striker Adam Armstrong and Chelsea centre forward Dominic Solanke all struck in Group A.