Have the Club World Cup's innovations been good or bad?

BBC News

20-06-2025

Whether you like them or not, there have been plenty of new features at the Club World Cup.From player walk-ons to the eight-second goalkeeper rule, the new 32-team format of the competition has been making waves.But what are the new initiatives introduced by Fifa? Are they working? Have a read - and have your say.
Player walk-ons
Every starting player has had an individual walk-on before each match at the Club World Cup.Our football news reporter Shamoon Hafez, who is at the tournament, says this has been the most notable innovation so far - because of the time it takes.Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia is a fan.He said: "I think it's something special and new for us. I enjoyed it. Why not bring it to the Premier League?"It's a bit of a showbiz thing, isn't it? I quite like it. The only difference is [if we did it in the Premier League], we might get a bit cold because once you're out there, you have to wait for maybe the other players."The innovation has drawn criticism from supporters as it has added extra time to the pre-match formalities, and a number of matches at the Club World Cup have kicked off a few minutes later than scheduled.
Ref cam
'Ref cam' shows live images from referees' bodycams before a game, in the tunnel, during the warm-up and at the coin toss.Unlike rugby union, no live images are shown during the game and - although goals and moments of skill will be shown with a delay - anything controversial or in bad taste, such as a player suffering a nasty injury, will not appear.Images will be available to the video assistant referee (VAR), but that is not the purpose of the innovation.The footage of the challenge that led to Manchester City defender Rico Lewis being sent off during their opening match with Wydad Casablanca was broadcast - but the red card had already been shown. Former international referee Pierluigi Collina says the technology is mainly an entertainment concept.What it will do, Fifa believes, is show the game from a unique vantage point and "enhance the storytelling".
Eight-second rule for goalkeepers
"This is big drama," said DAZN co-commentator Michael Brown as Al Hilal goalkeeper Yassine Bounou became the second goalkeeper to concede a corner by failing to release the ball within eight seconds.It happened in the 96th minute of the Saudi Arabian club's 1-1 draw with Spanish giants Real Madrid - and could have proved costly.The Club World Cup is among the summer tournaments at which the new eight-second rule is being applied to goalkeepers for the first time.As per the International Football Association Board (Ifab) rules: "A corner kick is awarded if a goalkeeper, inside their penalty area, controls the ball with their hand(s)/arm(s) for more than eight seconds before releasing it."The referee will decide when the goalkeeper has control of the ball and the eight seconds begin and will visually count down the last five seconds with a raised hand."Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams became the first to fall foul of the rule when he was penalised in the final 10 minutes of his side's 1-0 win over against Ulsan Hyundai.The rule is also in place for the Under-21s European Championship - but no-one has been punished as yet.
VAR replays shown in stadium
As in previous Fifa tournaments, the on-pitch referee will communicate VAR decisions - and the reasons for them - to supporters in the stadium.For the first time, fans at the match will be able to see the replays the officials are being shown.However, there will still be no broadcast of the discussions in the VAR hub.Collina urged patience for those who cannot understand why football is not yet implementing something commonplace in rugby, cricket and all major American sports."I cannot tell you if something more might be added in the future," he said. "But we need to do it when we are sure this will not affect the decision-making process."
Quicker offside decisions
Officials are using an accelerated semi-automated offside technology that will tell them to stop the game immediately if a player who is more than 10cm offside touches the ball.It is aimed at reducing needless delays.Assistant referees will receive the notification instantly rather than having to wait for the technology to check positions and distances - as is the case with semi-automated offside (SAO) systems used in most major leagues.SAO was introduced into the Premier League on 12 April.The introduction of the enhanced SAO comes after Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi suffered a serious abdominal injury against Leicester City.The Nigerian crashed into the post after play was allowed to continue despite a player being in an offside position.
Superior Player of the Match award
The Superior Player Award is given to the player of the match from each game - and is decided by a public vote.The vote is open between minutes 60 and 88 via FIFA+.Winners of the Superior Player Award at the Club World Cup so far include Michael Olise (Bayern Munich), Vitinha (Paris St-Germain), Pedro Neto (Chelsea) and Phil Foden (Manchester City).Its name stems from tournament sponsors Michelob - an American beer brand.The name 'Man of the Match' was changed to 'Player of the Match' at the 2022 World Cup.Following Inter Miami's 0-0 draw with Al Ahly in the opening game of the tournament, Inter Miami goalkeeper Oscar Ustari was the first player named Superior Player of the Match.