As soccer’s popularity continues to surge in the United States—with Sacramento Republic FC continuing to set the standard in attendance as newcomer clubs like FC Cincinnati make waves of their own—the United Soccer League continues to be at the forefront of the sport’s growth.
This summer, in partnership with Major League Soccer, the USL will become one of the first professional soccer leagues in the world to participate in The International Football Association Board (IFAB) and FIFA’s Video Assistant Referee project. The project, which will allow select video reviews for match-changing decisions, will usher in a new era of officiating in the sport and enhance officiating standards.
As part of the project, the USL will work directly with the Professional Referee Organization (PRO) and MLS to begin testing referee video assistance in the United States and Canada this summer.
“We are extremely excited to be partnering with Major League Soccer, and participating in what we expect will be an innovative new project that will continue to raise the standard of officiating not only in the United States and Canada, but around the world,” said USL President Jake Edwards.
Tests and trials for FIFA’s Video Assistant Referee project are set to start this summer in MLS and USL venues. Additional leagues and competitions participating in the project include Hyundai A-League (Australia), Bundesliga (Germany), Campeonato Brasileiro (Brazil), the Super Cup Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira and the Portuguese Cup Taça de Portugal (Portugal) and several competitions under the Royal Dutch Football Association (Nertherlands).
The FIFA’s Video Assistant Referee project has a detailed set of protocols for the experiments set to begin this summer. The goal of the project is to enhance officiating standards by using a Video Assistant Referee to avoid clearly incorrect decisions or questionable decisions in match-changing situations.
In particular, the Video Assistant Referee will focus and review on four “game-changing” situations: goals, penalty decisions, direct red cards and mistaken identity.
For goals, the Video Assistant Referee will help the center official to determine whether there was an infraction in the immediate buildup to a goal, such as a foul or offside. They will also review any penalty decisions to ensure the correct decision is made in awarding or not awarding a penalty kick.
In incidents that lead to a direct red card, the Video Assistant Referee will be used to ensure that no clearly wrong decisions are made in conjunction with the sending-off of a player.
Lastly, in a situation where a referee is unsure which player committed a foul or cautions or sends off a player, the Video Assistant referee will review the play and inform the referee so the correct player is identified and disciplined.
This summer’s trials are part of a larger experimental period that was approved by the IFAB earlier this year with the support of FIFA. Additional workshops will take place in the coming months that will go into further detail about the experiments and procedures. The trials are expected to last two years with a subsequent decision by the IFAB and FIFA potentially in 2018 or in 2019.
To learn more about the Video Assistant Referee project fans may visit quality.fifa.com.
As soccer’s popularity continues to surge in the United States—with Sacramento Republic FC continuing to set the standard in attendance as newcomer clubs like FC Cincinnati make waves of their own—the United Soccer League continues to be at the forefront of the sport’s growth.
This summer, in partnership with Major League Soccer, the USL will become one of the first professional soccer leagues in the world to participate in The International Football Association Board (IFAB) and FIFA’s Video Assistant Referee project. The project, which will allow select video reviews for match-changing decisions, will usher in a new era of officiating in the sport and enhance officiating standards.
As part of the project, the USL will work directly with the Professional Referee Organization (PRO) and MLS to begin testing referee video assistance in the United States and Canada this summer.
“We are extremely excited to be partnering with Major League Soccer, and participating in what we expect will be an innovative new project that will continue to raise the standard of officiating not only in the United States and Canada, but around the world,” said USL President Jake Edwards.
Tests and trials for FIFA’s Video Assistant Referee project are set to start this summer in MLS and USL venues. Additional leagues and competitions participating in the project include Hyundai A-League (Australia), Bundesliga (Germany), Campeonato Brasileiro (Brazil), the Super Cup Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira and the Portuguese Cup Taça de Portugal (Portugal) and several competitions under the Royal Dutch Football Association (Nertherlands).
The FIFA’s Video Assistant Referee project has a detailed set of protocols for the experiments set to begin this summer. The goal of the project is to enhance officiating standards by using a Video Assistant Referee to avoid clearly incorrect decisions or questionable decisions in match-changing situations.
In particular, the Video Assistant Referee will focus and review on four “game-changing” situations: goals, penalty decisions, direct red cards and mistaken identity.
For goals, the Video Assistant Referee will help the center official to determine whether there was an infraction in the immediate buildup to a goal, such as a foul or offside. They will also review any penalty decisions to ensure the correct decision is made in awarding or not awarding a penalty kick.
In incidents that lead to a direct red card, the Video Assistant Referee will be used to ensure that no clearly wrong decisions are made in conjunction with the sending-off of a player.
Lastly, in a situation where a referee is unsure which player committed a foul or cautions or sends off a player, the Video Assistant referee will review the play and inform the referee so the correct player is identified and disciplined.
This summer’s trials are part of a larger experimental period that was approved by the IFAB earlier this year with the support of FIFA. Additional workshops will take place in the coming months that will go into further detail about the experiments and procedures. The trials are expected to last two years with a subsequent decision by the IFAB and FIFA potentially in 2018 or in 2019.
To learn more about the Video Assistant Referee project fans may visit quality.fifa.com.
