FIFA has announced that Football Video Support (VS) will be used at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia.
The Football Video Support is a cheap alternative to the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) and will be used on a trial basis at the tournament.
Following requests from member associations, FIFA, in its effort to support match officials technologically, has introduced a new and ‘simplified’ alternative to VAR.
The VS, unlike VAR, does not check for ‘match-changing’ incidents since Video Match Officials will not be needed, as the two head coaches from opposing teams in action will be permitted to call for ‘limited’ review requests.
“Football Video Support is an answer to the request to provide football with a more affordable technology that might be implemented in competitions with a limited budget,” said Pierluigi Collina, Chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee.
“VS and VAR can be used for the same kind of incidents but cannot be compared as they are designed for completely different scenarios. The outcome of the trial at the Blue Stars/FIFA Youth Cup, involving 36 matches on two pitches, was very positive, and we are happy to give this system a further trial in Colombia.”
