PA Media/dpa
London
FIFA is set to give broadcasters the option to use footage from referee body-worn cameras at this summer’s Club World Cup.
Body cameras have been trialled in the English grassroots game with the aim of deterring verbal and physical attacks on referees at matches where there are no cameras filming the action.
The aims of the FIFA trial are significantly different, with the cameras set to give broadcasters another replay angle they can use of a goal or a controversial incident.
Mattias Grafstrom, the organisation’s secretary general, said at a press conference in Belfast the intention was to provide “additional footage (and) images which can then also increase the quality of the production and be of interest”.
“We had some tests in the Intercontinental Cup (last year), which was non live, which offered very interesting footage,” Grafstrom said.
“And so maybe it’s more in the replays and so on where we will provide it, but we certainly feel this adds something to the TV viewer experience.” The replays could highlight some of the difficulties referees face in making decisions in real time - for instance a television viewer may be able to see that the referee’s view of a controversial incident was significantly obstructed.
Premier League referee Jarred Gillett wore a camera mounted on an earpiece for the May 2024 game between Crystal Palace and Manchester United, with the league’s website later showing his view of a rejected Palace penalty appeal accompanied by audio of the brief VAR check that followed.
