cams

NEW Laws and new tech – meaning the Club World Cup will look unlike any football tournament we’ve seen before.

Fifa has decided to bring in all the Law tweaks agreed at the International FA Board meeting in Belfast in February for their new flagship.

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That means the “five second countdown”, with referees raising their hand to tell goalkeepers to release the ball or see a corner awarded to the opposing team.

The latest live trials, in South America’s Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana, saw just TWO incidents where the glovemen exceeded the maximum eight seconds with the ball “under control”.

Fifa will also enforce the “captain’s only” rule for talking to referees, with yellow cards for any players who offend.

The so-called “Arteta rule”, meaning no further punishment other than an indirect free-kick if coaches or substitutes accidentally touch the ball before it goes out of play, will also be invoked for the first time.

As will a new penalty rule, where “double touches” – players unintentionally hitting the ball against their own foot or leg – will bring a retake if the spot kick is converted, rather than being disallowed.

But just as eye-opening will be the technology applied for the first time in competitive play, as Fifa pushes new barriers.

The biggest will be using the latest, AI-aided semi-automated offside technology, where a signal will automatically go to the assist referee when a player breaking the defensive line and more than just four INCHES offside plays the ball.

Rugby fans have become used to “ref cams”, attached to the official’s chest and giving an intimate view of scrums.

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BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK

But Ifab approved football to go down the same path, with the cameras at eye level, attached to the referee’s VAR communication device.

While “live” shots will not be broadcast during play, they will be available to give fans, both at home and in stadiums, the chance to see goals and other incidents from the ref’s perspective.

Conversations between refs and VARs can still only be broadcast after a match has finished but supporters inside the grounds will be able to view the images for pitchside monitor reviews at the same time as the officials themselves.

And there will be no excuses for messed-up substitutions, with coaching teams handed a tablet to input player changes directly, rather than having to hand written notes to the fourth official.

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Technology will help fans see the action from the refs’ point of view while AI will help detect offsides earlier and goalkeepers will be punished for time-wasting after eight seconds.

The FIFA Club World Cup has undergone a revamp since it was last competed in December 2023 in Saudi Arabia.

The number of participating clubs has increased fourfold to 32, the frequency of the competition has gone from annual to quadrennial and the champion’s prize money – previously $5m – has gone up by a whopping $35m.

It’s not just the numbers that have changed in the tournament. FIFA is also looking to introduce new technology, including artificial intelligence to help the referees, and it is getting stricter on goalkeepers who waste time while holding the ball.

Here’s a look at the three big changes to be implemented at the monthlong tournament, which will get under way on Saturday in the United States:

What is the referee body cam, and how will it work at the Club World Cup?

Small cameras, protruding from the referees’ ears, will capture the live action unfolding in front of them.

The video will be fed to the ongoing match broadcast and will be aired to the viewers but only if the action is not controversial. So any penalty appeals, disputed calls and other potentially game-changing moments of controversy will be cut out.

However, fans will be offered unique views of goals, saves, crosses, player runs and tackles. The feature will only be available in the six NFL stadiums being used during the tournament – Atlanta, Charlotte, Los Angeles, Miami, East Rutherford, Philadelphia and Seattle.

“The objective is to offer the TV viewers a new experience,” Pierluigi Collina, the chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, said while announcing the move on Wednesday.

He said the technology will be trialled during the tournament and offer football’s rule-making body a chance to review it, along with footage of controversial moments, for long-term implementation.

Collina asked for patience from the fans during this phase and suggested taking things “step by step”.

“At the moment, this is a trial. We need to do something new and the simpler the better. So we fixed some rules within a protocol. Will we offer these images in the future? Maybe when we learn to run, maybe not, maybe we will do.”

Referee body camera in action. We can expect to see more of this at @FIFACWC ⚽️

Footage from Botafogo vs. Pachuca in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup 2024™ where body cameras were trialled. #TakeItToTheWorld | #FIFACWC | #FootballUnitesTheWorld pic.twitter.com/A30PiFDDA1

— FIFA Media (@fifamedia) June 6, 2025

How will FIFA use AI to check for offside during the Club World Cup?

While the assistance of technology in making offside decisions is not new, the Club World Cup will use it slightly differently by employing AI for an “enhanced semiautomatic offside”.

Video feed from 16 cameras will provide footage of the ongoing action to an AI-based programme, which will then alert match officials as soon as an offside player touches the ball.

Officials hope this new mechanism will help curtail the time in decision-making. The system will likely see the flag raised earlier for offside and reduce cases of play continuing after a clear offside, as opposed to a later video assistant referee (VAR) review.

In another first, footage of VAR-based offside reviews will be shown to the spectators inside the stadiums on big screens.

What’s the new timeout rule for goalkeepers?

It’s not entirely new, but time-wasting goalkeepers will also face the heat much earlier than usual as FIFA has asked referees to clamp down on glovemen who take too long on the ball.

The rules stipulate that keepers can’t hold onto the ball for longer than six seconds, but they have not been punished as frequently as the game’s governing body would have liked.

Now referees will issue a warning at five seconds – counted down by the officials on their hands – and the keeper must release the ball before a total of eight seconds are up.

Failing to do so will result in a corner kick for the opposition as opposed to an indirect free kick, which was previously given.

SOUTHERN SECTION BOYS VOLLEYBALL PLAYOFFS

FRIDAY’S RESULTS

FINALS

At Cerritos College

DIVISION 1

Mira Costa d. Huntington Beach, 25-19, 22-25, 25-19, 29-31, 15-11

At Mater Dei

DIVISION 2

Mater Dei d. Peninsula, 20-25, 25-17, 25-13, 25-19

At Crossroads

DIVISION 8

Wildwood d. Katella, 3-0

SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE

FINALS

At Cerritos College

DIVISION 3

Orange Lutheran vs. Tesoro, 10 a.m.

DIVISION 5

Esperanza vs. Kennedy, 12:30 p.m.

DIVISION 9

CAMS vs. Downey Calvary Chapel, 3 p.m.

DIVISION 6

Quartz Hill vs. El Toro, 6 p.m.

At Santa Barbara

DIVISION 4

Sage Hill vs. Santa Barbara, 1 p.m.