This is the video system being tested at the U-20 World Cup

Several selectors used the green card at the U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia, a new FIFA decision in which they can call, twice per game, referees to review plays they consider harmful or controversial.

The video review system (FSV) is, according to FIFA, a “simplified version” of VAR which was already tested in May during the FIFA/Blue Stars Youth Championship played in Zurich.

This proposal comes after FIFA received requests from countries that want to provide technological support to their referees in a more economical way than VAR, an instrument that is already used in more than 200 competitions in 65 federations.

VAR differences

FVS, unlike VAR, does not have “special video match officials”, which is why it does not automatically review all questionable plays in matches.

In that sense, it is the team coaches who must call the judges, using a green card that they must show to the fourth referee. Two review requests can be made per match when they consider that there has been a clear error.

It is applied to plays that can affect the course of the match, such as a goal or disallowed goal, a penalty foul or a straight red card.

More affordable technology

The president of the FIFA Referees Commission, the Italian Pierluigi Collinaasserted that FVS “is a response to the demand to provide football with more affordable technology that can be implemented in competitions with limited budgets.”

“FVS and VAR can be used for the same type of incidents, but they cannot be compared, as they are designed for completely different situations. The result of the test conducted during the FIFA/Blue Stars Youth Championship, if where 36 matches were made played on two fields of the game, it was very positive, so we are happy to try the system again in Colombia,” he added Collina.

Trial in Colombia

In the first two days of the U-20 Women’s World Cup, the selectors appealed to the green card to call the referees, both in the matches played in Bogotá and in the matches in Cali and Medellín.

One of the first to use it was the Mexico U-20 coach, Ana Galindowho requested a video review of a foul against one of his players so that the Spanish referee Marta Huerta de Aza check whether the violation, where the central office is reprimanded Orline Djutcie Segning, This is for a red card.

Adopted goals

In the match between Canada and France, the French coach, Sandrine Ringler requested the intervention of FVS in the 2nd minute when their rivals scored 2-1, but the goal, achieved in the 22nd minute of Zoe Markesini the Chinese referee confirmed it Fangyu Dong.

The Canadians then asked for a review, but the Chinese denied the claim and upheld the French goal making it 3-2 partially.

So, the Colombian tournament is a test for this new change of FIFA and, if it goes well, it is expected that it will start to be used in different places around the world to help referees, who are always at the center of controversy , to be better. decisions.