FIFA announced its team of 117 game officials for the opening extended club championship, which will take place from 14 June to 13 July. In the dominant move, the referees will wear body cameras and new rules will be introduced to resort about the time goalkeeper.
The FIFA Arbitration Committee selected officials from 41 membership associations, including 35 referees, 58 assistants and 24 video game officials for a 32-team tournament, which includes 12 stadiums in 11 US cities.
According to FIFA, the introduction of body cameras will offer fans an unprecedented view of the event and captures the game from the perspective of the referee. Body CAM has been used several times in football, but fans have always appreciated it from his unique perspective.
In addition, the stricter rule of punishment of goalkeeper holding the ball for more than eight seconds – teams that teams will now be awarded a corner kick instead of an indirect free kick.
“It is a great opportunity to give viewers a new experience, with angles that have never been available before,” said Pierluigi Collina, chairman of the FIFA Referee. “It also serves a valuable purpose in the development of referees, because the ability to see exactly what the referee sees is essential during training and debriefing.”
Collina also emphasized the historical nature of meetings and noted that the tournament means an important milestone as the first edition of the World Cup in its extended format.
“The selected referees have a unique privilege to be part of this first ever edition. I’m sure everyone is excited,” he said. “In the last FIFA tournaments, we have seen high standards of the Office, so expectations are higher than ever. Maintaining this level is a challenge, but” Team One “works hard to contribute to the success of this pioneering competition.”
Published:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
May 2, 2025
