Bundesliga Enhances Transparency with Video Reviews & Bodycams

Frankfurt, July 30 (AP) – Fans and television audiences in Germany are set to receive more insight into video reviews and footage from referees wearing body cameras during the upcoming Bundesliga season.

The German league announced on Wednesday that stadium announcements will clarify all video review decisions, while additional footage from bodycams will become available.

Referees will communicate all video-reviewed decisions directly in top-tier Bundesliga stadiums starting August 22 and in games in the second division from October 17, according to the league. This initiative follows trial runs in certain Bundesliga stadiums that began in January.

Additionally, IFAB, the soccer rules panel supported by FIFA, stated on Wednesday that trials involving body cameras can now be expanded worldwide to domestic competition organizers who wish to participate.

Previously, bodycam footage was exclusive to FIFA events, including recent matches at the Club World Cup in the United States.

Supporters have been treated to unique eye-level perspectives in the midst of the action, thanks to small cameras attached to referees' headsets, which they use to communicate with their assistants.

The demand for more immediate and detailed information regarding video-assisted referee (VAR) decisions has been longstanding among fans and broadcasters.

When VAR was initially implemented before the men's 2018 World Cup, stadium-goers were not provided replays of incidents, and referees were not required to explain their decisions, which merely appeared on large screen displays.

The Bundesliga has now confirmed that referees will address the stadium audience after consulting a field-side monitor or amending a decision following consultation with a video review assistant.

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