FIFA has announced groundbreaking initiatives that will be implemented at this year’s Club World Cup in the United States, including the trial use of body cameras on referees and a stricter rule aimed at curbing time-wasting by goalkeepers.
The use of body cameras, approved last month by football’s lawmakers, IFAB, will be on a trial basis during the 32-team competition, which is scheduled to take place from June 14th to July 13th.
Pierluigi Collina, chairman of the FIFA referees committee, expressed his enthusiasm for the new technology, stating, “We think that it is a good chance to offer the viewers a new experience, in terms of images taken from a perspective, from an angle of vision which was never offered before.”
Collina also highlighted the potential benefits for coaching and referee development, adding, “It’s a combination of new experience for broadcasters and also for coaching purposes. Having the possibility to see what the referee sees is important in the debriefing, to evaluate how the call was made by the referee, which was his view, and so on.”
In addition to the camera trial, FIFA will also attempt to address the persistent issue of time-wasting by goalkeepers. A new rule will be implemented, awarding a corner kick to the opposing team if the goalkeeper holds onto the ball for more than eight seconds. This is a stricter approach compared to the current rule, which stipulates an indirect free-kick for holding the ball for more than six seconds, an offense that is often overlooked by referees.
The Club World Cup, set to be hosted in the United States, promises to be a tournament of innovation, with these new measures aimed at enhancing the viewing experience and promoting fairer play. The football world will be watching closely to see the impact of these trials on the game.
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