Premier League Holds Talks With Ifab Over Plans To Introduce Ref Cams Next Season

The Premier League wants to present Ref Cams to connection other in-game footage to broadcasters. The mini cameras, mounted connected a referee’s receptor to supply TV viewers pinch a unsocial position of nan action, person been trialled by Fifa during nan Club World Cup complete nan past month.

The Premier League has held talks pinch nan International Football Association Board (Ifab), which determines nan laws of nan game, astir whether nan proceedings tin beryllium extended to home competitions.

If Ifab support is given, Ref Cams could beryllium trialled by nan Premier League successful its Summer Series tourney this period successful nan US, featuring Manchester United, Everton, West Ham and Bournemouth, pinch a position to perchance utilizing them adjacent season.

The preamble of Ref Cams successful nan convention would person to beryllium approved by nan clubs, truthful it would not beryllium fresh for nan commencement of nan campaign, and moreover if adopted they whitethorn not beryllium utilized successful each game.

The preamble of Ref Cams would beryllium welcomed by nan Premier League’s authorities holders, who person been impressed astatine its usage by Dazn. A caller £3bn home broadcast woody pinch Sky Sports and TNT Sports starts adjacent season. The Premier League and Ifab declined to comment.

Jarred Gillett wore a head-mounted Ref Cam during nan Premier League lucifer betwixt Crystal Palace and Manchester United successful a proceedings successful May 2024, though footage was not broadcast during nan game. The convention trialled chest-mounted GoPro cameras, worn by Rob Jones and Peter Bankes successful its US Summer Series 2 years agone without broadcasting nan action during matches.

At nan Club World Cup, nan Ref Cam footage has been utilized by Dazn to proviso instant replays and has been shown connected large screens astatine nan stadiums. Other European leagues person besides been impressed pinch nan results, which return viewers person to nan action, showcasing nan players’ velocity and accomplishment successful existent time.

It involves referees wearing mini cameras connected their correct ear, connected to a microphone and transmitter which sends video to nan broadcasters. Two wires – 1 for nan camera and nan different for a microphone – are connected nan backmost of nan referee’s garment and a transmitter is placed successful a pouch of their shorts.

Fifa tested different cameras earlier nan Club World Cup, including immoderate astatine thorax level, but its referees committee concluded that nan broadside of nan receptor provided nan champion perspective. Fifa has been happy pinch nan Ref Cam proceedings and will clasp discussions astir utilizing it astatine adjacent year’s World Cup.

“The result of utilizing nan Ref Cam present astatine nan Fifa Club World Cup 2025 went beyond our expectations,” Pierluigi Collina, nan chair of nan Fifa referees committee, said. Collina said nan cameras had an further use successful helping referees and VARs, by showing erstwhile nan charismatic has not had clear show of a awesome incident. In a group crippled betwixt Paris Saint-Germain and Atlético Madrid, for example, nan referee did not spot a handball incident by an Atlético defender because a subordinate blocked his statement of vision.

“The video adjunct referee alerted nan referee, who awarded a punishment to Paris Saint-Germain aft reviewing nan incident connected nan transportation broadside monitor,” Collina said. “The strategy is working.”