By Ben Nicholson
October 13 – The MLS has revealed plans to trial video refereeing for penalty and goal awards and red cards. The trial will take place in October 2016 and cover ten to 15 friendly fixtures.
Jeff Agoos, MLS Vice-President, said: “There is a natural stoppage” during the three proposed moments of review. “Our findings show there is ample time to give information to the referee.”
He continued, “Depending on the incident, there can be from 40 seconds to well over a minute, plenty of time to review a decision [and plenty of time to slip in a commercial].”
Though this is true when the goal, penalty or red card is actually awarded, there is no necessary natural stoppage to review when these decisions should have been awarded but were not. More details will likely emerge, though, as the trial approaches.
By running the trial in non-competitive matches the league can circumvent FIFA restrictions on the use of technology.
The Dutch FA had proposed similar plans to trial having a video official in the stadium watching replays and advising the referee on key decisions via a headset. However, in February the trial was postponed for a year, demonstrating FIFA’s reluctant relationship with technology.
Suspended FIFA General Secretary Jerome Valcke stated at the time: “It’s a question of making the biggest decision ever in the way football is played.” He expressed concern that there is “a risk [the referee] becomes not as strong and always asks for confirmation.”
Agoos revealed more progressive thinking: “Football’s culture is to be conservative, but for us the technology is natural. It’s in our sports, the norm here. It’s going to be implemented in football. Once the door is open, it’s just a question of how wide.”
“Ultimately, we believe the referee should have as much, if not more, information than the fan who goes to the game. At the moment the fan has more on his smartphone. We don’t think that makes sense. The discussion in football, ‘That it’s always been that way,’ doesn’t hold water with us. We are not looking for perfection. It doesn’t exist. There will always be the human element but the game is so fast now that it’s impossible for the officials to keep track.”
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