FIFA World Cup: Referees To Wear ‘Body Cams’

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.

Venezuelan referee Jesus Valenzuela wearing the ‘Ref Cam’ during the 2024 FIFA Intercontinental Cup final football match between Spain’s Real Madrid and Mexico’s Pachuca at the Lusail Stadium in Doha on December 18, 2024. / © AFP

“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 moment…this 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.