Referees with bodycam: England will experiment from 2023

A bodycam, which serves as a deterrent for attacks on referees. After the latest episode of violence against a match director, which occurred earlier this month in England, the Football Association has decided to start this experiment at the beginning of 2023. On the uniforms of match officials, in amateur football , video cameras will be mounted to discourage physical reactions towards them.

The federation had already advanced the proposal during the general assembly of the Ifab last June, finding an unprecedented availability of the regulator, since rule 5.5 explicitly prohibits the referees from wearing any type of electronic equipment, apart from out of those supplied. Clearly, the experiment could also provide interesting indications for recording the point of view of the referees, as happens in rugby and as Salzburg had experienced in the summer friendly with Chelsea three years ago.

Aggravated injuries

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The theme of attacks on match officials is strongly felt by the Fa: in the past season, 1.1 cases were recorded per thousand games. The last one, moreover, was particularly heinous. After ejecting a player from Platt Bridge, in the match against Wigan Rose, Dave Bradshaw was hit several times in a fight that involved about fifty people with a fracture of the nasal septum and some ribs, as well as a concussion. The referee then abandoned the match, picked up by his wife who was threatened. Police arrested a 24-year-old on suspicion of aggravated injury.

Experimentation

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However, beyond the regulatory changes, there are other points to be clarified. It will be necessary to understand, for example, if the installation of the bodycam can somehow limit the freedom of movement of the referees and if special permissions will be needed by the members in the field to be filmed. “The objective of this test – admitted a spokesman for the federation – is to ascertain whether it can improve the behavior of the participants, giving greater safety to the match officials. We will monitor the results and, if they are positive, we will try to extend this measure both in terms of national and international. In the coming weeks, the final details will be finalized with the Ifab “.