Asked to react to criticism of the technology, which has been particularly vociferous in connection with matches in England’s Premier League, Infantino told the Olympic Channel Podcast: "I think it's pretty normal for something that football has been waiting for for 150 years.

"We can’t all pretend it’s perfect.

"But what it is, it is certainly progress.

"It is certainly a step in the right direction and help for the referees.

"And there is still some fine tuning to be done - in certain countries in particular."

Infantino claimed that the introduction of VAR has helped improve the sport.

"But if you look up the term progress in the dictionary, you'll probably find the definition 'better than before'," he said. 

"Some say this, before we had a whole bunch of decisions which were wrong.

“After we have a whole bunch of decisions which were wrong before that have become right.

“Not all of them, but a whole bunch.

"So, it is definitely progress."

Infantino added: "I'm surprised about the impact of VAR, even just as a concept or as a word, as a term.

"Let's not forget that the first event in which the VAR was used officially was the World Cup in 2018.

“And now and it is used in almost 50 countries regularly.

"I wouldn't take the current critics or criticism, from England in particular... in too much of a dramatic way.

"There is no reason why in England it cannot be successful if it has been successful everywhere else."