Blatter, whose FIFA term lasted 17 years until he resigned in 2015, added back then, "In my opinion, as long as I am in charge, I will make sure no technical help will be introduced." But things have obviously changed since he made those statements. Fifteen years later, Blatter's no longer at the helm -- he stepped down over a corruption scandal. Still, along the way, he seemingly changed his views on technology and greenlit two projects that FIFA hopes will usher soccer into a new era: GLT and VAR, short for goal-line technology and video assistant referee, respectively.

Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter.

The driving force behind these changes is the International Football Association Board, whose mission is to "serve the world of football as the independent guardian of the laws of the game." IFAB is headquartered in Zurich, the same place as FIFA, and is responsible for ensuring there are principles, practicalities and protocols in place for GLT and VAR. And even though professional soccer leagues aren't required to use these technologies, it's imperative that there's a set of standards in place should they choose to do so.

In 2012, IFAB approved testing for GLT, which consists of a set of electromagnetic antennas around the goal posts that are complemented by six to eight high-speed cameras that shoot at 500 frames-per-second. The system, developed by Hawk-Eye Innovations, a Sony-owned company, determines when a ball crosses the goal line in its entirety, then transmits that information to a watch referees wear. Had this technology been in place years ago, many moments in soccer history might have had a different outcome. Remember 2010 World Cup, when England's Frank Lampard had a goal disallowed because the referees on the field missed the ball crossing the line? Poor England.

FIFA tested goal-line technology for the first time in an official tournament at the 2012 FIFA Club World Cup in Japan, after two years of internal trials. It went so well that today some of the most important leagues around the globe are using the tech, including England's Premier League, Germany's Bundesliga, France's Ligue 1, Italy's Serie and the Netherlands' Eredivisie. GLT has also been used at the international level, during the 2014 World Cup Brazil, when France became the first team to benefit from the system at FIFA's elite event. A referee originally ruled no goal on a shot from French player Karim Benzema, but the decision was changed after checking the goal-line technology system.

A test of goal-line technology.

Video assistant referee, meanwhile, is exactly what its name suggests. If there's a questionable play on the field, referees are able to check a video replay to help them make the right call. The caveat is that not everything can be reviewed in games, only the following:

Goal/no-goal decisions

Penalty/no penalty decisions

Direct red cards (not second yellow cards)

Mistaken identity

VAR was approved for testing in official matches just last year, but it's already been used during high-profile international tournaments like the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia last month. FIFA says it plans to use it during next year's World Cup as well. And while it's great to see FIFA finally embracing technology, it's hard to believe it took it so long to implement something as elementary as video replays. The NHL, NFL, NBA and MLB, began experimenting with it in 1991, 1999, 2002 and 2008, respectively.

"Football has been fairly reluctant to introduce technology because it has to be applicable everywhere, in professional football, also in grass-roots football," the secretary of IFAB, Lukas Brud, told Engadget. He says it wasn't so much that IFAB or FIFA weren't eager to bring tech into the game, but that they needed it to make sure the solutions available to them worked well in practice. And developing something that works for everyone takes time, especially because it involves not just the referees, coaches and players, but also broadcasters.

To help along the way, Brud says IFAB worked with the NBA, NFL and MLB to understand the benefits and challenges of using video replays to assist refs. He claims one of the key things he learned from visiting spots like the NBA's Replay Center, a 2,300-square-foot facility that processes video from 29 basketball arenas and houses more than 100 replay monitors, was how to create something similar that would work for a sport as complex as soccer. FIFA oversees soccer in 211 nations, most of which have their own club leagues; there are also more than 15 international tournaments for men and women, including the World Cup.

With video replay, Brud says there's no need to reinvent the wheel -- IFAB and FIFA just have to adapt it for their own purposes. "People will still be emotional about referee decisions, but [they] will be happy that the scandals are over," he says. "If you asked me three years ago [if] we would ever have video assistant referees, I would've said, 'yes maybe in 60 years' time,' and look where we are now." The next step after GLT and VAR, Brud says, will be creating a protocol to let players use tech wearables in games, which will allow coaches to monitor their heart-rate and other fitness data in real time.

Naturally, growing pains can be expected, and that was on full display during FIFA's 2017 Confederations Cup. VAR came under scrutiny after it was called to action several times and, every time, caused confusion among players, managers and broadcasters. In large part, that's because referees weren't informing anyone what, exactly, was being reviewed, and on one occasion the wrong decision was made. Either way, the final call is always on the referees.