Referees at the Club World Cup, which will be held from June 14thto July 13th in the United States (U.S.), will be equipped with body cameras and will apply a new rule to combat goalkeepers wasting time, FIFA announced on Tuesday.
Match referees will wear “body cameras as part of an experimental phase, tests approved by IFAB,” the body that oversees the rules of the game, FIFA explained in a statement.
“We believe this is a good opportunity to offer viewers a new experience, thanks to footage captured from a perspective that has never been offered before,” explained the president of FIFA’s refereeing committee, Pierluigi Collina.
“This initiative is also innovative for broadcasters and for referee training,” added the Italian, “because it’s important to be able to put yourself in the referee’s shoes during a match, to assess how the referee made their decisions, their position, etc.”
The competition will implement a new rule approved on March 1stby IFAB with the aim of reducing time loss caused by goalkeepers. If they hold the ball in their hands for more than eight seconds, the referee will signal for a corner kick. Previously, an indirect free kick could be awarded after six seconds.
“We need to see the game and goals, not refereeing,” said former referee Massimo Busacca.
“The referee is a protagonist who should not be noticed during the match. A good referee should not be seen or known. But must be ready.”
