Coaching & PE, Fitness & Health, Sport & Exercise Science

Fifa to trial TV referral technology

Sepp-BlatterFifa president Sepp Blatter has said a football TV referral system may be trialled in 2015, allowing coaches to challenge a referee’s decision for the first time ever.

Blatter said the trials would probably begin at the 2015 Under-20 World Cup in New Zealand.

The system would see managers able to challenge at least one, and possibly two, refereeing decision in each half, but will only be able to do so where all matches receive television coverage.

The on-field referee will still have the final call on whether or not to change their decision, but the use of video technology will allow them to look at it in greater detail.

The idea is similar to the of the US National Football League (NFL) which was introduced in 1999 an allows each team’s coach two opportunities per game to make a coach’s challenge.

The scheme got the thumbs up from former Premier League referee Graham Poll who said “It’s a great idea, the game has speeded up and players are more crafty and deceitful than they have ever been. Unfortunately, that is a fact of life, therefore referees do need help.”

Poll highlighted former France striker Thierry Henry’s handball against the Republic of Ireland in a World Cup play-off in 2009 as the type of incident for which video challenges could be used.

“Everyone who watches a game on the television knows within seconds when a clear error has been made and the one guy that doesn’t is the referee and that isn’t fair,” said Poll.

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