FIFA has made a unique decision surrounding the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup. On Monday, the organization released the list of 117 match officials and announced that referees will be wearing body cameras in this tournament.
For the first time, spectators will be able to see the image of the game through the referee's eyes. Not only that, if the goalkeeper has the ball in his hands for more than eight seconds, the opponent will be awarded a corner kick - no longer an indirect free kick as before.
This new-style Club World Cup is going to be held in the United States from June 14 to July 13, where 32 teams will participate.
Pierluigi Collina, head of FIFA's referees committee, said, "We think it will be a new experience for the spectators. Seeing the game through the referee's eyes will add a new dimension to football."
He added, "It is also important from a coaching perspective. This camera will be useful for analyzing what the referee saw."
A total of 35 referees, 58 assistant referees and 24 video match officials have been selected from 41 countries.
About the tournament, Colina said, “This is the first time that the Club World Cup has been held on such a large scale. The selected referees are proud to be part of this historic moment. We have received high-quality refereeing in previous tournaments, and we are working hard to maintain that standard this time too.”
The tournament will be held in 12 stadiums in 11 cities in the United States. Experts believe that the competition between the best clubs from 6 continents is going to be more disciplined and technology-based this time.
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