Football Video Support trial starts at Jubilee Cup clashes at Centenary Stadium on Wednesday

Wednesday is an historic day in Maltese football as the Football Video Support technology will be used for the first time on a trial basis in two matches from the Jubilee Cup Last 16 round.

The Malta FA will be using the technology in four matches to be held at the Centenary Stadium, with the first matches to have the technology support are the Jubilee Cup matches between Marsaxlokk and Hibernians and Birkirkara vs Sliema Wanderers that will be played at the Centenary Stadium.

On Thursday, the match officials will be aided by the FVS technology for the matches between Żabbar St Patrick and Naxxar, as well as the Tarxien Rainbows vs Gżira United clash.

The Malta Football Association recently held a series of sessions to outline the way the new Football Video Support (FVS) system will be implemented.

The sessions, held over the past days, allowed the Malta FA to better explain the FVS protocol to coaches, referees, and members of the media.

The Malta FA’s participation in the FIFA FVS trials in football and Video Support (VS) in futsal was unanimously approved by the Executive Board last July.

The FVS system is a new technology support which requires less resources and camera equipment to be utilised, allowing coaches to challenge specific decisions.

This system was tested in various competitions, including the FIFA U20 and U17 Women’s World Cups, and will be tested in upcoming FIFA competitions. FVS is different from VAR because it gives coaches the ability to initiate reviews for clear and obvious errors, instead of relying on a dedicated team of video officials to monitor all incidents.

Commenting during the meeting with the media, Malta FA Senior Vice President Matthew Paris highlighted that the FVS system is still on trial, and hence it is a learning process, with the goal of improving the game.

“We are providing a tool for referees to be in a better position to officiate the game. It is important to note that FVS is not an inferior version of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system, but a different technology altogether. While it is more affordable, it is still a hefty cost, and thus the Malta FA is making a significant investment by bringing this technology to the game.”

“I would like to thank FIFA and the International Football Association Board (IFAB) for allowing us to participate in this trial period. I want to also thank the Malta Premier League, who are our partners in this project,” Dr Paris continued.

Kampjonat Malta Ltd Chairman Alan Abela stated that this technology is being brought to Malta with a view to it also being introduced to the Malta Premier League, noting that this is a major investment.

Speaking during the briefing, David Elleray, Technical Director at IFAB, highlighted the important role that the media has in the FVS system.

“The media is the front line of educating the public about what FVS is, to help manage expectations about what FVS can and cannot do, and additionally since this is a trial, to also contribute to the development of FVS,” he added.

He also noted that Malta is a football pioneer, having been one of the three countries to trial the goalkeeper being allowed to keep the ball in their hands for eight seconds, and also being the first country to introduce FVS to the top men’s competitions.

On his part, Alan Mario Sant, Chairman of the Malta FA Referees Committee remarked that this is an important day for refereeing, “but it is just the start.”

FIFA VAR Project Lead Mike van der Roest and FIFA VAR Project Manager Michael Bailey were also present for the press briefing, and they provided technical insight into how the FVS protocol will be followed.