The 2025 tournament was the first major FIFA event to feature body cameras on referees. Collina reported that the technology was met with enthusiasm and exceeded expectations. The body cams offered fans and officials a unique, first-person view of the action, providing unprecedented transparency.
“The outcome of using the ref cam here at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 went beyond our expectations. We thought it would have been an interesting experience for TV viewers and we’ve received great comments,” Collina said. “We were asked: ‘Why not in all the matches?’ and even more: ‘Why not in all sports?’”
Collina also highlighted the value of body cams for referee training and analysis. He referenced a group stage match between Atlético de Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, where the technology clarified why a handball incident was missed by the referee due to an obstructed view. The video assistant referee (VAR) intervened, resulting in a correct penalty decision.
A major rule change debuted at the tournament: goalkeepers now face a corner kick if they hold the ball for more than eight seconds, replacing the previous six-second indirect free kick rule. This amendment, passed by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) in March 2025, aimed to reduce time-wasting.
Collina reported several positive outcomes:
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: Matches saw less time lost to goalkeepers holding the ball
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: Only two goalkeepers were penalized, indicating widespread respect for the rule.
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: The rule’s main goal was to encourage compliance rather than to punish infractions.
The tournament also featured an enhanced version of semi-automated offside technology. According to Collina, this system accelerated offside calls and minimized unnecessary interruptions, ensuring that decisions were both timely and correct.
“The alert went to the assistant referees well before, when there was a clear offside position. So, it worked very well, we have the goals disallowed, correctly disallowed; we also had correct decisions supported by the semi-automatic offside technology – [we are] very happy, very pleased,” he said.
A total of 117 match officials from 41 member associations oversaw the 63 matches of the expanded 32-team tournament. Collina concluded by commending the quality of officiating and the pride felt by all involved:
“It was a great competition. The people attending the matches confirm this, it was well played by players and well refereed by match officials. And all the referees who are here are 100% proud of being part, of having been part of this first time ever.”
Source: FIFA.com
