Referee body cameras, a new eight-second rule for goalkeepers, and advanced semi-automated offside technology introduced at the Club World Cup have been hailed as a success, FIFA Referees Committee Chairman Pierluigi Collina said.
The tournament, which marked the inaugural edition of the expanded 32-team competition, was the first FIFA event to use body cameras on referees.
Collina said the innovation exceeded expectations, providing unique perspectives for both television audiences and referee training.
“The outcome of using the ref cam here at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 went beyond our expectations,” Collina told FIFA’s media channel on Thursday.
“We thought it would have been an interesting experience for TV viewers and we’ve received great comments.”
Collina said that the footage was valuable not only for entertainment, but also for referee development.
“We had the possibility to see what the referee sees on the field of play,” he said.
“This was not only for entertainment purposes, but also for coaching the referees and to explain why something was not seen on the field of play.”
He cited a group stage match between Atletico de Madrid and Paris Saint Germain, in which a referee missed a handball due to his line of vision being blocked.
“From this ref cam, it was absolutely clear that the referee could not have seen that incident live on the pitch,” Collina said.
The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) later intervened to award a penalty.
The tournament also saw the implementation of a rule awarding a corner kick if a goalkeeper holds the ball for more than eight seconds. Previously, only an indirect free kick was awarded after six seconds.
“It was very successful; the tempo of the match was improved,” Collina said.
“We had no time lost by goalkeepers keeping the ball between their hands for a very long time – as happened quite often in matches before,” he added, noting that only two goalkeepers were penalised under the new rule.
“The purpose was not to give corner kicks, but to prevent the eight seconds rule from being ignored. The purpose was 100 per cent achieved,” he said.
An advanced version of the semi-automated offside technology was also deployed, speeding up decisions and preventing unnecessary play.
A total of 117 match officials – 35 referees, 58 assistant referees and 24 video match officials – from 41 member associations oversaw the 63 matches played during the tournament.
Paris Saint Germain face Chelsea in the tournament’s finale in New Jersey on Sunday.
