FIFA has announced two groundbreaking changes ahead of the upcoming 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, aimed at enhancing transparency and curbing time-wasting in football.
The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is scheduled to take place in the United States from June 14 to July 13, 2025 . This edition marks the tournament’s expansion to include 32 teams from all six FIFA confederations
In a bold move to improve accountability and fan experience during the tournament, referees will wear body cameras during matches on a trial basis. This initiative, supported by the International Football Association Board (IFAB, seeks to evaluate the potential long-term use of referee-worn cameras and to establish quality and safety standards for future implementation. Fans will be able to view footage captured by the body cams through DAZN.
News Rule On Time-Wasting
Additionally, FIFA says it is introducing a new rule to crack down on time-wasting by goalkeepers. If a goalkeeper holds onto the ball for more than eight seconds, the referee will begin a visible five-second countdown. If the keeper still fails to release the ball, the opposing team will be awarded a corner kick—replacing the current rule that results in an indirect free kick after six seconds.
“We think that it is a good chance to offer the viewers a new experience in terms of images taken from a perspective, from an angle of vision, which was never offered before,” said the chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, Pierluigi Collina, on the referees body cameras emphasising that it was a trial.
“It also has a purpose in terms of referee coaching because, of course, having the possibility to see what the referee sees is important in the debriefing to evaluate how the call was made by the referee. So, it’s a combination of a new experience for broadcasters and also for coaching purposes.“
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