With only two months to go before the FIFA Confederations Cup Russia 2017 kicks off at the Saint Petersburg Stadium on 17 June, FIFA has appointed 36 match officials, representing all six confederations. They have been selected by the FIFA Referees Committee from the list of candidates for the 2018 FIFA World Cup™.
In their preparations, all of the candidates have been under the guidance and supervision of the chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, Pierluigi Collina, and the FIFA Head of Refereeing, Massimo Busacca. For Collina and Busacca, it is essential to ensure that the best match officials from all around the world are selected for FIFA competitions. “These officials are all potential candidates for next year’s flagship football event in Russia, and a high-profile tournament like the FIFA Confederations Cup 2017 is key to their preparation. We are convinced that they will deliver the quality we strive for,” says Collina.
Another important piece of history will be made at the Confederations Cup with video assistant referee (VAR) tests. The VARs will be used to support referees with “match-changing” decisions. The trial will involve VARs being given access to all broadcast feeds inside a video operations room, enabling them to provide information to the referee on the field of play in order to correct any clear mistakes in “match-changing” situations. These include serious incidents such as goals, penalty decisions, direct red cards and cases of mistaken identity. The VARs will play a supporting role along with the assistant referees and the fourth official, but the referee will continue to take the first as well as the final decision on the field of play. The referees will also be able to call upon goal-line technology (GLT).