A simplified version of the video assistant referee (VAR) system will be tested out at the upcoming FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, where New Zealand will be competing. This new system, called Football Video Support (VS), aims to provide a more cost-effective alternative to VAR while still assisting match officials with technology.
Unlike VAR, which has been widely adopted in over 200 competitions around the world, VS does not involve dedicated Video Match Officials and does not automatically review all game-changing incidents. Instead, the responsibility lies with the two head coaches, who can request a limited number of reviews per match for clear and obvious errors in incidents like goals, penalties, red cards, or mistaken identities.
Pierluigi Collina, Chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, explained that VS was developed in response to requests for a more affordable technology that could be used in competitions with limited budgets. While both VS and VAR can be used for similar incidents, they are designed for different scenarios and should not be compared directly.
The decision to trial VS at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup follows a successful test run at the Blue Stars/FIFA Youth Cup in Zurich, where it received positive feedback. The tournament in Colombia, scheduled from August 31 to September 22, 2024, will provide another opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of the system.
Overall, the introduction of Football Video Support represents a step towards making technology-assisted refereeing more accessible to a wider range of competitions. As the football world continues to explore different ways of enhancing officiating with technology, innovations like VS could play a significant role in improving the accuracy and fairness of the game.