A different form of video assistant will be used at the U17 World Cup. With a “challenge” trainers can request a test. This has not yet been an issue for German football.
Coaches can use a card to request a review of situations at the U17 World Cup in Qatar. “Football Video Support” is a lean solution for the technical review of game situations.
The process: Trainers have to hand over the card and rotate their fingers
As with the “Video Assistant Referee” known from the Bundesliga and other major competitions, intervention is generally intended in four situations:
- Goals
- Penalties
- Red cards
- Confusion between players regarding cards
The big difference to VAR: There is no video basement from which to intervene.
Instead, every coach has the opportunity to “challenge”, i.e. request that the referees examine a situation. Each coach has one “challenge” per half of the game, and another one may be added in extra time. The trainers can request that a situation be examined by handing in a card. Then the main referee goes to the monitor to look at the images. The 4th official also generally checks the goals for clear errors.
The VAR monitor gesture by the referees is now well known, but with “video support” the gesture for a “challenge” is reserved for the coaches. “The request must be made immediately after the incident by the individual waving a finger in the air and presenting a video review request card to the fourth official.”said FIFA.
Head coach Marc-Patrick Meister’s German U17 team will face Burkina Faso in the round of 16 of the World Cup on Saturday. In response to Sportschau’s request, the DFB informed that no special functional member would be assigned to the bench to identify contestable situations. The scenes are available on a tablet on the bench, according to the DFB. So “At the signal of our coach or our players, we can look at the scene again and then decide whether to play.”. Find the scenes “usually our assistant coach out”.
U17 national coach Marc-Patrick Meister
The experience: Already several appearances at the U17 World Cup
For example, in their 16-0 win against New Caledonia, Morocco used “video support” to get their opponents a red card, and “video support” was also used in other games.
The system really took center stage in the game between Uganda and Canada. Uganda, which was leading 1-0 at the time, called for a penalty midway through the second half. But even after “video support” the referee refused. Canada equalized in the 88th minute, then a Canadian player went down in stoppage time. The referee initially allowed the game to continue. In response to a “challenge” from Canada, he awarded a penalty, and Canada scored to win (90+7). “Technology is there to make football fairer, we recognize that”said Uganda coach Brian Ssenyondo. “But it hurts when it goes against you.”
The advantages: Technical aid for less money
The VAR is technically complex and the infrastructure is expensive. The “video support” is intended to be a solution with significantly less effort and, above all, to give financially weaker competitions access to technical aids for the referees.
The “Video Support” supports the referees “in competitions that have fewer resources and cameras”said Pierluigi Collina, FIFA’s chief referee, in a statement from the world association, pointing out the differences to the familiar system. “It is not VAR or a modified version of it.” So it is by no means intended to replace him.
The disadvantages: Less accuracy than with VAR, “challenges” are eliminated
One problem that can arise is a lack of accuracy. Fewer cameras mean fewer perspectives with which to clarify situations. This can lead to ambiguity and thus to dissatisfaction or protests.
And what can be crucial: When the “challenges” have been used up, even a decision that is clearly wrong can no longer be reviewed.
Coaches can use cards to request one “challenge” per half of the game
Who uses it: National leagues in Europe are also getting involved
The principle is and has been tested at FIFA youth tournaments. Since spring, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), which is responsible for rules issues, has also allowed the use of “video support” in national competitions.
And some are there: In Spain, the top women’s league and the men’s third league now have technical aids for the referees. The same applies to the men’s Serie C in Italy, the women’s Serie A is currently starting tests. “Video support” is also used in some competitions in Brazil.
“Video support” at a Serie C game in Cosenza
Who does without it: 3rd league and Women’s Bundesliga free of technology for the time being
The “Video Assistant Referee” has not yet been considered in the women’s Bundesliga and the men’s 3rd league, “among other things, weighing up costs and benefits”said the DFB. It should also be borne in mind that the technical requirements in the stadiums of the two leagues are often lower, for example there are fewer camera perspectives. “This makes it more difficult to satisfactorily understand and resolve contentious situations. The possible consequence could be additional discussions and even greater disappointment for those affected and the public.”
Regarding the future and possible use of “Video Support” in the women’s Bundesliga and the men’s 3rd league, the DFB announced: “We always keep an eye on technical developments and newly tested models. However, we first have to wait for the findings from these tests and pilot operations.” Before further decisions would be made “to get a comprehensive opinion with all the pros and cons”.
The lack of use of technology has often been an issue in women’s football; for a long time in Germany not even the DFB Cup final had a VAR. FIFA used the technology for the first time at the 2019 World Cup in France after criticism from players, and UEFA used it at the 2022 European Championship in England. In the men’s DFB Cup, after several wrong decisions, there were debates about technical aids in the second main round.