Latest news with #FIFARefereesCommittee
Daily Tribune
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Tribune
‘Ref Cam' footage won't show controversial incidents
Referees at this month's FIFA Club World Cup will wear 'body cams' with the footage used in broadcasts of the game -- but only if the images are of non-controversial incidents, FIFA refereeing officials said on Wednesday. The match referees in the tournament will wear a small camera protruding from their earpiece which will be able to generate video from the referees point of view. But while broadcasters will be able to offer unique angles on goals and saves -- as well as close-up live video and sound from the pre-match coin toss -- viewers won't get to see penalty decisions or other disputable moments from the new camera angle. 'The objective is to offer the TV viewers a new experience,' said Pierluigi Collina, the Chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee. Collina said that IFAB, which sets the laws of the game had allowed a trial of the technology and suggested that footage of controversies might be part of a later phase in the future. 'Let's do things step by step. At the is a trial. We need to do something new and the simpler the better. So we fixed some rules within a protocol. We will offer these images in the future? Maybe when we learn to run, maybe not, maybe we will do,' he said. The live images will be broadcast via a private 5G network from the ref to the match production team, said FIFA Director of Innovation, Johannes Holzmuller, who said the live aspect would only be available in the six NFL stadiums being used for the tournament. What Club World Cup fans will be able to see are the VAR reviews, as seen by referees on the pitchside monitor, which will be broadcast on giant screens in the stadium. That video will then be followed by the referee announcing the final decision over the public address system and the television broadcast. The tournament will also see the use of 'enhanced semi-automatic offside' technology which will use 16 cameras linked to AI technology and algorithms which will send an audio message to the assistant referee when an offside player touches the ball.
Qatar Tribune
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Qatar Tribune
Hani Ballan to oversee the FIFA Club World Cup along with referees Collina and Busacca
QNA Zurich FIFA has announced the selection of Hani Taleb Ballan, Chairman of the Referees Committee of Qatar Football Association (QFA) and Vice-Chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, to supervise the referees of the FIFA Club World Cup to be held in the United States from June 14 to July 13. Ballan will be supervising the FIFA Club World Cup referees alongside Italian Pierluigi Collina, Chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, and Massimo Busacca, Director of the Refereeing Department. As many as 117 referees will be involved in officiating the tournament's matches, divided into 35 main referees, 58 assistant referees, and 24 video referees representing 41 national federations. They have been specially prepared for the tournament from all technical, physical, and medical aspects, ensuring they are fully prepared to officiate Club World Cup matches. The tournament's referees attended a preparatory camp prior to the start of the competition. The camp included theoretical lectures, practical applications, and a football tournament, the 'Referees' Cup,' to prepare the referees for the official tournament. The tournament is expected to feature automated offside and goal-line technology, as well as the installation of a camera on the referee's head, on a trial basis. These cameras will provide live footage to the public, providing a great opportunity to offer a new viewing experience. The tournament will also see the implementation of new rules aimed at reducing time-wasting by goalkeepers. The amended rules now stipulate that a corner kick will be awarded to the opposing team if the goalkeeper holds the ball for more than eight seconds. The referee will then use a clear hand gesture to start a five-second countdown, 'in contrast to the current procedure, which awards an indirect free kick after six seconds.' It is worth noting that the tournament will witness the participation of four Qatari referees: Salman Falahi (referee), Ramzan Al Naimi and Majed Hedirs Al Shammari (assistant referees), and Khamis Al Marri (video assistant referee).
Al Jazeera
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Al Jazeera
Referee body cams, keeper timeouts, AI: What's new at the Club World Cup
The FIFA Club World Cup has undergone a revamp since it was last competed in December 2023 in Saudi Arabia. The number of participating clubs has increased fourfold to 32, the frequency of the competition has gone from annual to quadrennial and the champion's prize money – previously $5m – has gone up by a whopping $35m. It's not just the numbers that have changed in the tournament. FIFA is also looking to introduce new technology, including artificial intelligence to help the referees, and it is getting stricter on goalkeepers who waste time while holding the ball. Here's a look at the three big changes to be implemented at the monthlong tournament, which will get under way on Saturday in the United States: Small cameras, protruding from the referees' ears, will capture the live action unfolding in front of them. The video will be fed to the ongoing match broadcast and will be aired to the viewers but only if the action is not controversial. So any penalty appeals, disputed calls and other potentially game-changing moments of controversy will be cut out. However, fans will be offered unique views of goals, saves, crosses, player runs and tackles. The feature will only be available in the six NFL stadiums being used during the tournament – Atlanta, Charlotte, Los Angeles, Miami, East Rutherford, Philadelphia and Seattle. 'The objective is to offer the TV viewers a new experience,' Pierluigi Collina, the chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, said while announcing the move on Wednesday. He said the technology will be trialled during the tournament and offer football's rule-making body a chance to review it, along with footage of controversial moments, for long-term implementation. Collina asked for patience from the fans during this phase and suggested taking things 'step by step'. 'At the moment, this is a trial. We need to do something new and the simpler the better. So we fixed some rules within a protocol. Will we offer these images in the future? Maybe when we learn to run, maybe not, maybe we will do.' Referee body camera in action. We can expect to see more of this at @FIFACWC ⚽️ Footage from Botafogo vs. Pachuca in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup 2024™ where body cameras were trialled. #TakeItToTheWorld | #FIFACWC | #FootballUnitesTheWorld — FIFA Media (@fifamedia) June 6, 2025While the assistance of technology in making offside decisions is not new, the Club World Cup will use it slightly differently by employing AI for an 'enhanced semiautomatic offside'. Video feed from 16 cameras will provide footage of the ongoing action to an AI-based programme, which will then alert match officials as soon as an offside player touches the ball. Officials hope this new mechanism will help curtail the time in decision-making. The system will likely see the flag raised earlier for offside and reduce cases of play continuing after a clear offside, as opposed to a later video assistant referee (VAR) review. In another first, footage of VAR-based offside reviews will be shown to the spectators inside the stadiums on big screens. It's not entirely new, but time-wasting goalkeepers will also face the heat much earlier than usual as FIFA has asked referees to clamp down on glovemen who take too long on the ball. The rules stipulate that keepers can't hold onto the ball for longer than six seconds, but they have not been punished as frequently as the game's governing body would have liked. Now referees will issue a warning at five seconds – counted down by the officials on their hands – and the keeper must release the ball before a total of eight seconds are up. Failing to do so will result in a corner kick for the opposition as opposed to an indirect free kick, which was previously given.
The Sun
11-06-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
'Ref Cam' footage won't show controversial incidents
REFEREES at this month's FIFA Club World Cup will wear 'body cams' with the footage used in broadcasts of the game -- but only if the images are of non-controversial incidents, FIFA refereeing officials said on Wednesday. The match referees in the tournament will wear a small camera protruding from their earpiece which will be able to generate video from the referees point of view. But while broadcasters will be able to offer unique angles on goals and saves -- as well as close-up live video and sound from the pre-match coin toss -- viewers won't get to see penalty decisions or other disputable moments from the new camera angle. 'The objective is to offer the TV viewers a new experience,' said Pierluigi Collina, the Chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee. Collina said that IFAB, which sets the laws of the game had allowed a trial of the technology and suggested that footage of controversies might be part of a later phase in the future. 'Let's do things step by step. At the is a trial. We need to do something new and the simpler the better. So we fixed some rules within a protocol. We will offer these images in the future? Maybe when we learn to run, maybe not, maybe we will do,' he said. The live images will be broadcast via a private 5G network from the ref to the match production team, said FIFA Director of Innovation, Johannes Holzmuller, who said the live aspect would only be available in the six NFL stadiums being used for the tournament. What Club World Cup fans will be able to see are the VAR reviews, as seen by referees on the pitchside monitor, which will be broadcast on giant screens in the stadium. That video will then be followed by the referee announcing the final decision over the public address system and the television broadcast. The tournament will also see the use of 'enhanced semi-automatic offside' technology which will use 16 cameras linked to AI technology and algorithms which will send an audio message to the assistant referee when an offside player touches the ball. The system will likely see the flag raised earlier for offside and reduce cases of play continuing after a clear offside until a later VAR review. The tournament will also be an early introduction of the new law that goalkeepers have eight seconds to release the ball after picking it up - or be punished with a corner. It replaces the previous law that keepers had six seconds to release the ball or give up an indirect free-kick. The goalkeepers will be shown a five second warning by the referee who will count down showing the fingers of one hand.
The Sun
11-06-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Referees to wear body cams at Club World Cup; footage shown only for non-controversial plays in new fan-focused FIFA tech trial.
REFEREES at this month's FIFA Club World Cup will wear 'body cams' with the footage used in broadcasts of the game -- but only if the images are of non-controversial incidents, FIFA refereeing officials said on Wednesday. The match referees in the tournament will wear a small camera protruding from their earpiece which will be able to generate video from the referees point of view. But while broadcasters will be able to offer unique angles on goals and saves -- as well as close-up live video and sound from the pre-match coin toss -- viewers won't get to see penalty decisions or other disputable moments from the new camera angle. 'The objective is to offer the TV viewers a new experience,' said Pierluigi Collina, the Chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee. Collina said that IFAB, which sets the laws of the game had allowed a trial of the technology and suggested that footage of controversies might be part of a later phase in the future. 'Let's do things step by step. At the is a trial. We need to do something new and the simpler the better. So we fixed some rules within a protocol. We will offer these images in the future? Maybe when we learn to run, maybe not, maybe we will do,' he said. The live images will be broadcast via a private 5G network from the ref to the match production team, said FIFA Director of Innovation, Johannes Holzmuller, who said the live aspect would only be available in the six NFL stadiums being used for the tournament. What Club World Cup fans will be able to see are the VAR reviews, as seen by referees on the pitchside monitor, which will be broadcast on giant screens in the stadium. That video will then be followed by the referee announcing the final decision over the public address system and the television broadcast. The tournament will also see the use of 'enhanced semi-automatic offside' technology which will use 16 cameras linked to AI technology and algorithms which will send an audio message to the assistant referee when an offside player touches the ball. The system will likely see the flag raised earlier for offside and reduce cases of play continuing after a clear offside until a later VAR review. The tournament will also be an early introduction of the new law that goalkeepers have eight seconds to release the ball after picking it up - or be punished with a corner. It replaces the previous law that keepers had six seconds to release the ball or give up an indirect free-kick. The goalkeepers will be shown a five second warning by the referee who will count down showing the fingers of one hand.
