FFA to trial the use of video evidence during A-League games

Tom Smithies
23 December 2015


AUSTRALIA will volunteer to trial the use of video evidence during A-League games if football’s lawmakers finally give the go-ahead for a competitive test next month.

FIFA’s body that considers changes to the rules of the game is poised to abandon its deep hostility to in-game video evidence for referees, after being told by its two advisory panels that “well-run experiments” are the only way to be sure of how practical the concept is.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) will meet next month, with several radical moves on the agenda, including the use of sin bins. But it is the possible introduction of video technology that would be the most far-reaching, with pressure growing on FIFA to correct the anomaly where spectators can see within seconds if a decision was correct via their phones, but not the referee.

It follows some extended but unofficial trials, including one in Holland. Now Football Federation Australia is keen to be in the vanguard of any trial that IFAB assents to, using the ¬myriad cameras already at every A-League game through Fox Sports’ coverage.

“FFA will be contacting IFAB and FIFA to express our interest in conducting a trial in the Hyundai A-League,” FFA chief David Gallop said.

“FFA is always looking for ways to introduce broadcast innovations with Fox Sports. The use of video replays would not only help referees, but would enhance the viewer experience.

“The Australian TV sports industry has the expertise and technology, so the A-League would be a perfect competition to extend the trials started in the Netherlands.”

The Dutch trial was suspended under pressure from FIFA, but other leagues — ¬including the MLS — have strongly signalled their wish to be allowed to run something similar in competitive matches.

The review of decisions would be limited to key moments including goals, offsides and penalties, and incidents the referee might have missed that could lead to a red card.

The so-called “fifth official” with access to video could only advise the main referee who would still make the final call, with a strict time limit of a few seconds to pull the game back.

The Dutch experiment suggested that on average one key decision per game would be reversed, with the game not stopped unless the video evidence was instantly compelling.

In a statement last night, FIFA said that IFAB “has been working on potential scenarios and clear protocols for how it could be tested, with the idea that well-run experiments would be the best way to understand the pros and cons of video assistance in full”.

The A-League was one of the first leagues in the world to introduce the use of video evidence retrospectively to penalise players guilty of diving, effectively eliminating it from the competition.