FIFA refereeing officials said on June 11 that referees at the FIFA Club World Cup will wear “body cams”, and the footage will be used in broadcasts of the game—but only if the images are of non-controversial incidents.

The match referees in the tournament will wear a small camera protruding from their earpiece, which will be able to generate video from the referee’s 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 will not be able 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 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 pitch side 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.

-AFP

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Al-Nassr and Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo said on Saturday he did not plan to play at the Club World Cup in the United States, despite being courted by clubs participating in the expanded 32-team tournament.

Speculation over the 40-year-old’s future intensified last month when FIFA President Gianni Infantino said discussions were underway about Ronaldo playing in the Club World Cup, despite Al-Nassr failing to qualify.

Al-Nassr’s sporting director Fernando Hierro said last month they were negotiating with Ronaldo over a contract extension but faced competition from a host of clubs eager to sign the five-times Ballon d’Or winner.

Ronaldo himself added to the uncertainty after Al-Nassr’s season-ending match at Al-Fateh, posting on social media: “This chapter is over. The story? Still being written.”

Asked about the possibility of signing for another club in the coming days in order to play at the Club World Cup later this month, Ronaldo told reporters: “It’s irrelevant, at the moment it doesn’t make sense to talk about things other than the national team.

“There has been plenty of contact (from clubs), I see things that make sense, others that don’t. You can’t go to all of them (clubs), you have to think short, medium and long term.

“It’s something that’s practically decided on my part, which is not to go to the Club World Cup, but I’ve had plenty of invitations.”

On Wednesday, Ronaldo scored the winner as Portugal beat Germany 2-1 to go into the Nations League final, where they will face Spain.

Many have labelled Sunday’s final as a face-off between Ronaldo and 17-year-old Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal but the Portuguese forward said he did not see it as such.

“It’s always been like that, whenever I’ve played football, whenever I’ve played a big game it’s always been Cristiano against this one, against that one,” he said.

“It’s been 20-something years and it’s still the same, it doesn’t keep me up at night anymore, it’s a normal thing. They’re completely different generations, a generation that’s starting out, another that’s finishing, which is my case.

“In reality it’s not like that, it’s a team against a team. It will always be like that… What I want most is for Portugal to be at a good level, confident that things can go well, that we can play a great game and win against a very good team, possibly the best in the world.”

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Referees wearing body cameras and an upgraded offside detection system will be among the headline innovations at this year’s Club World Cup in the United States, FIFA said on Friday.

For the first time at a FIFA tournament, match officials will wear body cameras, with selected footage broadcast live to audiences.

A new, advanced version of semi-automated offside technology — combining Artificial Intelligence, multiple cameras, and ball sensors — will be deployed to speed up decision-making while maintaining VAR oversight for marginal calls.

“However, for challenging offside scenarios, the video assistant referee will still validate the information provided by the system before the decision is taken,” FIFA said in a statement.

The tournament, which expands to 32 teams this year, will serve as a major testing ground for both systems, the governing body said.

-Reuters