Spain wants a more affordable VAR in its women's liga and coaches' challenges
Barcelona's players celebrate their side's third goal during the Women's Champions League, quarter-final first leg, soccer match between VfL Wolfsburg and FC Barcelona in Wolfsburg, Germany, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (Swen Pfoertner/dpa via AP)
Barcelona's players celebrate their side's third goal during the Women's Champions League, quarter-final first leg, soccer match between VfL Wolfsburg and FC Barcelona in Wolfsburg, Germany, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (Swen Pfoertner/dpa via AP)
Barcelona's Irene Paredes, second right, scores her side's second goal during the Women's Champions League, quarter-final first leg, soccer match between VfL Wolfsburg and FC Barcelona in Wolfsburg, Germany, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (Swen Pfoertner/dpa via AP)
Barcelona's players celebrate their side's third goal during the Women's Champions League, quarter-final first leg, soccer match between VfL Wolfsburg and FC Barcelona in Wolfsburg, Germany, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (Swen Pfoertner/dpa via AP)
MADRID (AP) — The Spanish soccer federation will ask FIFA for permission to introduce a more cost-effective video review system in the women's liga next season.
The federation wants to give coaches the ability to challenge on-field decisions similar to those used in sports leagues in the United States.
Thursday's announcement of the intention to use FIFA's so-called Football Video Support (FVS) system came after a Barcelona goal was incorrectly disallowed for offside in the women's clasico against Real Madrid on Sunday. Madrid earned its first ever win over the Catalan rival in the women's game.
Advertisement
The federation said having the new system would be a step toward implementing full VAR in the women's game. VAR is fully operational in the men's liga but not in the women's.
FIFA, which trialed the new system in a youth competition last year, said on its website that FVS was designed to be portable and more affordable than traditional VAR that requires greater infrastructure, including more cameras at stadiums and constant monitoring by VAR match officials.
FIFA said it started looking into an alternative system after it 'received requests from a number of member associations to find a more affordable system to support referees in their decision-making.' It said FVS was aimed at 'meeting the needs" of associations that can't implement VAR "because their human and financial resources are limited and very few cameras are in use in their competitions.'
Even matches with only one camera, whether human-operated or automated, can have FVS in place, according to FIFA.
Advertisement
Coaches can challenge a call 'by twirling their finger in the air and giving a review request card to the fourth official,' FIFA said. Coaches are expected to have two challenges, and if the review results in the original decision being changed, the team doesn't lose the challenge.
Major sports leagues in the United States, including the NFL and the NBA, offer coaches challenges.
After goals are scored, FIFA said the fourth official will check the footage on the monitor and inform the referee if there was any clear and obvious irregularity.
A fully finalized version of the system that Spain could potentially use has not been presented yet, though FIFA has said that FVS must include 'minimal stadium connectivity or fixed installation, with the possibility of being installed pitch-side and/or within the TV compound.'
Advertisement
The instant-replay functionality should provide images 'from at least one camera angle to assist officiating decisions effectively,' and the setup 'must be lightweight and transportable by a single person for ease of deployment in a range of different stadium environments.'
FIFA acknowledged that because FVS involves a small number of cameras, 'the replay footage will often be inconclusive and thus the original decision may not be changed.' If the technology malfunctions, the match must be played or continue without FVS, FIFA said.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
15 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Barcelona set date to make key Marc-Andre Ter Stegen decision
Marc-Andre Ter Stegen is facing a very uncertain future at Barcelona, although it does appear that he won't leave this summer now that he will be undergoing surgery on a troubling back injury. Ter Stegen announced himself that he will be undergoing surgery, and in the process, he stated that he will be out for three months. This has angered Barcelona officials, who are hoping that the Germany international is out for at least four, given that this would allow them to register Joan Garcia with La Liga. Barcelona officials believe that Ter Stegen deliberately set three months as his return timeline so that the club cannot use 80% of his salary to register a replacement, and it has led to the two parties' relationship deteriorating further. Image viaOn the back of this, there are increased calls within Can Barca for Ter Stegen to be stripped of his position as club captain, and according to Sport, the decision on this will be made just before the start of the 2025-26 La Liga season. Barcelona first team squad to make captaincy decision Traditionally, the captaincy group for the upcoming season is decided via a vote by the first team squad, which takes place after the Joan Gamper Trophy. And the plan is for this to be the case ahead of the 2025-26 campaign. However, club officials within Barcelona are said to be pressuring Hansi Flick to interfere in this process, and thus make a decision before this date. The situation between Barcelona and Ter Stegen will be one to watch as the summer goes on, although it is not expected that the 33-year-old will depart. He has signalled his intention to stay put, and given that he will be out for at least three months, there will be no clubs that want to take a punt on signing him.
28 minutes ago
Spain's women battled sexism and indifference. Now the world champions are eyeing European title
BARCELONA, Spain -- If the women's soccer players of Spain have gone from nobodies to title contenders in less than a decade, it hasn't come easy. The national team has had to fight for better coaching, decent travel conditions, and modern training facilities. It paid off with a World Cup title in 2023, the Nations League crown last year, and on Sunday they face England in the European Championship final. 'It has been a constant with the national team that we have had to fight for acceptable work conditions that would allow us to play at our best,' former Spain defender Marta Torrejón told The Associated Press by phone on Friday. Torrejón lived through the lean years, the time when playing for her country felt like, in her words, a 'waste of time.' And she knows from talking with Barcelona teammates who still play for their country how much things have improved. Torrejón retired from international soccer after the 2019 World Cup as Spain's then most-capped player with 90 appearances. The 35-year-old has since helped Barcelona win three Champions League titles and a slew of other trophies. She also played a part in one of the revolts Spain's women have staged to demand more from the men who run the game. After the 2015 World Cup, Torrejón and other players successfully pushed for the removal of coach Ignacio Quereda, who had run the team for nearly three decades, for his poor preparation ahead of the team's first appearance in the competition. Quereda was later accused by former players of verbal abuse, an allegation he denied. 'I enjoyed playing for the national team, but the preparation and attention to the player was minimum. It felt, to put it bluntly, like a waste of time,' Torrejón said. 'The level of practice and the level of physical training both plummeted compared to what we had (at Barcelona). It was like taking a step back. "I am told that isn't the case now, and I am very glad to hear that.' Torrejón said she saw steps in the right direction under former Spain coach Jorge Vilda, who replaced Quereda, but felt there was still more untapped potential in the team when she retired. After Torrejón quit the team, some players announced in 2022 they would no longer play for Vilda unless he ran a more professional operation. He was backed by the federation. Some players returned to play for him, and the team made history by winning the 2023 World Cup. The celebrations were overshadowed by the behavior of then-federation president Luis Rubiales, who kissed a player on the lips without her consent during the awards ceremony in Sydney. Vilda supported Rubiales initially and he was swept away with his boss when the players stood up to force change, from the removal of Rubiales to improving the travel conditions and handling of the team. Torrejón said she had heard from Alexia Putellas and Irene Paredes, stalwarts of Spain and Barcelona, that things are better since Rubiales and Vilda left. New coach Montse Tomé has enhanced the training methods. Spain leads the way at the Euros for goals scored, ball possession, passing accuracy and clean sheets. In Spain's 1-0 semifinal win over Germany, Aitana Bonmatí leaned on the team's analysts, who informed her the opposing goalkeeper tended to leave her near post unprotected. The result was an exquisite winner from a tight angle. Torrejón said that sort of tactical insight from the staff was unthinkable a decade ago. Spain midfielder Patri Guijarro agrees with Torrejón that the sustained investment Barcelona has provided for the past decade in the women's game has boosted the national team. 'Each and every day we work well in our clubs and I think that is reflected in the achievements of the clubs but also in the national team,' Guijarro said at Spain's camp in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Friday. Guijarro also credits the professionalization of Spain's women's league in 2021, which allowed players 'to dedicate ourselves fully to soccer.' Guijarro is one of 11 Barcelona players on Spain's 23-member squad. The Barcelona contingent includes Bonmatí and Putellas, who have split the last four Ballon d'Or awards between them. Former Barcelona official Xavier Vilajoana oversaw the women's team and the club's training academy from 2015-2020. During that time, the club dramatically increased its funding for women's soccer and built a training program for girls. Vilajoana said one critical decision was having the same coaches train the boys' and girls' teams. That way the Barcelona style was instilled in all the kids, and that ball-possession, short-passing and pressure became fundamentals of the women's teams as well. 'Let's not fool ourselves, we spent many years in a very sexist society and that was reflected in women's soccer. So clearly the change in the mentality of society has helped," Vilajoana told the AP. "But I also believe that Barça's style of play has helped us see women players in the same way (as men).' In the background, Spain's strong feminist movement helped get the public behind the players as they made strides for equality and success. 'There were many of us players who gave it our all for the national team but weren't able to get this far," Torrejón said. "The one thing we knew is that we had talent. We just needed more support.' ___ AP sports writer Graham Dunbar contributed from Lausanne, Switzerland.
Yahoo
38 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Barcelona confident of closing agreement with 24-year-old star
Barcelona are not expected to make any further signings this summer, but there is still key business that needs to be done. Sales are required for a number of players to be registered with La Liga, and on top of this, contract talks are set to take place with several first team stars. An agreement on a new deal with Jules Kounde has recently been finalised, sporting director Deco will move on to other players. And two that are classed as priorities for Barcelona are Frenkie de Jong and Eric Garcia. Both players are out of contract in less than 12 months' time, so it is essential for new terms to be agreed in the coming weeks. In regards to de Jong, talks with his new representatives are expected to take place soon, and this could also be the case for Eric. It has previously been reported that Eric had been close to an agreement on a new contract, but rather, the process has been slow. As per MD, both parties are seeking a resolution soon, with the plan being for the 24-year-old defender to remain at the Catalan club for years to come. Image via Cordon Press Hansi Flick is counting on Eric for next season Barcelona want to sell at least one centre-back this summer, although Hansi Flick has made it clear that he does not want Eric to go. Like Kounde, he can play at right-back as well as in central defence, and he values this versatility. Barcelona expect there to be no problems in reaching an agreement with Eric, although it may not come for a few weeks at least. They are aware that the player is happy in Catalonia, and his preference would be to remain in Flick's squad for a while yet. For now, it remains to be seen whether that turns out to be the case.
