Referee body camera trials extended worldwide following Club World Cup test
Football’s lawmakers have extended the use of referee body cameras for broadcast purposes to worldwide domestic and international competitions.
The International Football Association Board (IFAB) said its board of directors had approved the extension of the trial of the technology following “successful tests” at the 2025 Club World Cup.
Other competitions wishing to participate in the trial and implement referee body cameras must seek permission from IFAB and FIFA to do so. This is a similar process to the introduction of previous new officiating measures, such as in-stadium VAR announcements.
The implementation of the technology in the Premier League for the 2025-26 season is under consideration.
Jarred Gillett became the first Premier League referee to wear a body camera during the fixture between Crystal Palace and Manchester United in May 2024. The footage was not made available for immediate broadcast and was described as a “one off” for a programme promoting match officials.
The technology was also trialled during a Bundesliga game between Eintracht Frankfurt and Wolfsburg in February 2024. German Football Leagues (DFL) co-CEO Steffen Merkel said on Wednesday: “Subject to approval by IFAB and FIFA, we would expect it to be used in 40 to 50 (Bundesliga) games in the coming season.
“I think that right at the start this will be less a topic for the live area, rather for the highlight area and social media, because we have had good experiences with reach and audience enthusiasm.”
The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), meanwhile, has shown interest in implementing the technology but is still exploring how it may work in practice.
The technology trial was initially limited to FIFA competitions following approval at an IFAB meeting in March. It was introduced for the Club World Cup in the United States this summer for as part of live match transmission, providing a new replay angle from the referee’s perspective.
Pierluigi Collina, chairman of the FIFA referees committee, said in April the use of body cameras would offer broadcast viewers a “new experience”. The former FIFA referee said following the tournament their use “went beyond our expectations”.
The initial trial was to “identify possible future use and develop quality and safety standards”. “Now, other competitions have the option to test such systems and provide valuable information and feedback,” an IFAB statement read.
Referee body cameras were first trialled in English grassroots football in 2023 with the aim of improving behaviour and respect from players and supporters towards match officials.
“We had the possibility to see what the referee sees on the field of play,” Collina told FIFA’s official website in July. “And this was not only for entertainment purposes, but also for coaching the referees (and) to explain why something was not seen on the field of play.”
Additional reporting: Seb Stafford-Bloor, Melanie Anzidei
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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