CLUB WORLD CUP
FIFA Referees’ boss, Pierluigi Collina explains update on VAR decisions
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
The implementation of live communication of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) decision to the public both at the stadium and those watch through broadcast has began with the FIFA Club World Cup which is on-going in Morocco.
The first referee to implement this is Ma Ning after after checking for a possible penalty which he did award but sent off Auckland City FC player Adam Mitchell at the Club World Cup opening match between Auckland City and Al Ahly at the Ibn Batouta Stadium in Tangier.
The decision to take VAR to the next level was taken at the Annual Business Meeting last month in London.
The International Football Association Board (IFAB), the law-making organ for football, followed up on the recommendations made by its Football and Technical Advisory Panels.
As a result, the public explanation of VAR decisions is being experimented for a period of 12 months.
It was in similar circumstance that ‘kick-in’ was experimented in place of ‘throw-in’ at the 1993 U-17 World Cup in Japan.
Chairman of FIFA Referees Committee, Pierluigi Collina hopes that this will make VAR interventions more understandable for spectators.
“We decided to have this trial because we have received some requests in that sense, to make the decision taken by the referee after a VAR intervention more understandable for all the football stakeholders, namely the spectators at the stadium or [in front of] the television.”
Noting that there may be language barrier, Pierluigi remarked that “we we thought this Club World Cup would be perfect because it’s a multilanguage competition, with teams and, of course, spectators involved coming from all six of the different continents.
“I think we will offer something helpful, I hope, so my thoughts are definitely positive in this regard. I hope the spectators will benefit from this. We are at the beginning, it’s the first time we’re doing it, so certainly it might not be perfect from the very beginning but I’m confident that the outcome will be positive.”
He went on to state the objective of the experiment which is to protect the referees and also not to make their job too difficult or to not put too much extra pressure on them.
“That’s why it’s only once the decision has been taken that the communication will start.”
Pierluigi who was for six consecutive times from 1998 to 2000, acclaimed as the “World Best Referee” by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics explained that the public explanation of VAR decision is not completely new.
“I have to say that there are other experiences in other sports, namely the NFL in American football, they have been doing it for quite a long time.
“It seems that the referees are pretty comfortable with this.”
Continuing, He remarked: “We’ll start with the Club World Cup and then we have already thought about implementing it at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Indonesia. Depending on the outcome, there might certainly be the possibility of having this at the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
“But I think it’s better to wait and see the outcome of the trial in the other competitions before saying anything in that regard.”
CLUB WORLD CUP
Referees’ body cameras will provide fans with unprecedented views of on-field action, says FIFA
FIFA unveiled its team of 117 match officials, opens new tab on Monday for the inaugural Club World Cup and said referees would wear body cameras and enforce stricter goalkeeper time-wasting rules at the tournament to be staged across the United States.
The FIFA Referees Committee appointed the officials from 41 member associations – 35 referees, 58 assistant referees and 24 video match officials – for the June 14 to July 13 event.
Body cameras will provide fans with unprecedented views of on-field action, FIFA said, while goalkeepers who hold the ball beyond eight seconds will now see opponents awarded corner kicks rather than indirect free kicks.
“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,” said Pierluigi Collina, chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee.
“It also has a purpose in terms of referee coaching because, of course, having the possibility to see what the referee sees is important in the debriefing.”
Collina highlighted the historic nature of the appointments for the expanded tournament featuring 32 teams from all six FIFA confederations and spanning 12 stadiums in 11 U.S. host cities.
“The selected referees are among those who have the privilege to be part of this for the first time, so I’m sure that all the match officials will be thrilled,” he said.
“We are coming from high-standard performances delivered during the last FIFA tournaments. So the bar is higher and when you set the bar higher it’s more difficult to keep the standard. But we are working very hard and ‘Team One’ will make a solid contribution to the success of this exciting competition.”
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The expanded Club World Cup holding in the US has brought another innovation to football.
Referees at the championship holding from June 14 to July 13 will be equipped with body cameras and will implement a new rule to combat goalkeeper time-wasting.
Game directors will wear “body cameras as part of an experimental phase, the tests having been approved by IFAB ,” the body that oversees the rules of the game, the International Football Federation explained in a statement.
“We believe this is a good opportunity to offer viewers a new experience, with images taken from a perspective that has never been offered before,” explained FIFA Referees Committee chairman Pierluigi Collina.
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The change in football rules that allows goalkeepers to be punished with corner kicks will be implemented at the Club World Cup holding in June in the US.
The revelation was made by FIFA Referees Committee chairman Pierluigi Collina after the announcement that referees will wear body cameras.
This initiative is “both innovative for broadcasters and for referee training,” added the Italian, “because it is important to be able to put yourself in the referee’s shoes during the debriefing, to evaluate how the referee made his decisions, his point of view, etc. “
The competition will implement the new rule approved by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) on March 1, aimed at reducing time wastage by goalkeepers.
“If they hold the ball for more than eight seconds, the referee will award a corner. Previously, an indirect free kick could be awarded after six seconds.
Seminars for referees have been held recently. The one for UEFA referees was held at FIFA headquarters from March 31 to April 4. Another seminar was held in Dubai for referees from the AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), and OFC (Oceania) from February 2 to 4, and a third for referees from CONMEBOL (South America) and CONCACAF (Central America and the Caribbean) took place in Buenos Aires from February 24 to 28.
“We need to see the game and the goals, not the refereeing,” said refereeing director Massimo Busacca. “The referee is the protagonist who should not be noticed during the match. A good referee doesn’t need to be seen or known. But he must be prepared. “
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