Football coaches will be twirling their fingers in the air and handing out their own cards in the Australian Championship knockout matches this weekend as part of a global trial for a new lightweight video review system designed for leagues without the resources for a full VAR deployment.
The Football Video Support (FVS or VS) system has been trialled at junior tournaments and at lower leagues in Malta, Spain and Italy but if the implementation is successful in Australia, the coming weeks could pave the way for its use in the A-League Women finals this season.
Coaches are given two cards each to be used during normal time, which can be used to review goals, penalty decisions and the issuing of cards. An additional challenge is provided for extra-time.
The review can be triggered by the coach twirling their finger in the air, handing one of the cards to the fourth official, or informing them verbally. The referee will then review the video angles available on a pitch-side screen.
Jon Moss, Football Australia head of referees, said officials will be prepared for possible gamesmanship by coaches looking to seek an advantage by using the challenge system to slow down play or prevent counterattacks.
“We deal with that the same way as we deal with time wasting and time consumption,” he said. “We’ve made it clear to the clubs that we’re not expecting them to do this [use the cards for advantage] and if they do do it, we won’t be forthcoming in accepting challenges.”
He gave an example of a possible penalty that wasn’t called. Coaches will not be able to stop an ensuing counterattack by using the card, and the footage will be reviewed only when the subsequent play breaks down. However, Moss admitted there may be cases that test the new system.
“The likelihood of [coaches] being able to get a review on a quick transition, especially in the Championship, how quickly the ball moves from one end to the other, and having the capacity to realise that’s happening is highly unlikely,” he said. “But it could happen, and we’ll deal with that as we see appropriate at the time.”
The system provides a more cost-effective solution for competitions which have video coverage, but do not have a full VAR system installed in stadiums or officials dedicated for review.
Moss said Fifa remains committed to VAR, and the use of the new system is not being considered as a replacement for the controversial video review system. He expected FVS not to unduly delay the game, given in previous trials only 1.7 cards are used for each match on average.
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“I’d rather have a little bit of added time if we got to the right outcome, and we have the ability for the coaches to challenge when they think something is clearly wrong,” he said. “So it’s that balance, isn’t it, between the use of technology and getting the right outcome.”
If the technology fails, the match will continue without FVS, and the head coaches and captains will be informed.
The Australian Championships quarter-finals begin on Friday with the clash between Wests Apia and Marconi at Leichhardt Oval.
