FIFA has announced the introduction of referee-mounted cameras at the expanded Club World Cup tournament beginning this Saturday in Miami. However, this innovation appears primarily designed to enhance television viewing rather than improve officiating.
The “refcam,” attached to referees’ earpieces, will only show “non-controversial” footage that will be checked before broadcast rather than streamed live.
FIFA Referees Committee chairman Pierluigi Collina emphasized the entertainment value: “We want to show something entertaining. I don’t think that we always need to think of the controversial incidents on the field of play.”
While FIFA suggests the technology could provide unique angles of goals and different perspectives unavailable to standard cameras, critics argue this represents a missed opportunity to increase transparency in decision-making.
Despite the tournament also featuring VAR footage on stadium screens for the first time, Collina questioned the refcam’s utility for video reviews: “Honestly, can you believe that a camera position just besides the referee’s eyes can see something that the referee’s eyes cannot see?”
Beyond cameras, FIFA has also announced stricter enforcement of goalkeeper time-wasting rules. The time limit for goalkeepers holding the ball has been extended from six to eight seconds, but referees will now visibly count down the final five seconds. The punishment has also changed from an indirect free kick to awarding the opposition a corner kick.
These changes reflect FIFA’s ongoing attempts to balance tradition with innovation.
