FIFA plan major move at Club World Cup after Awoniyi incident

The International governing body of football, FIFA, are set to trial an advanced semi-automated offside technology for the VAR at the Club World Cup due to Taiwo Awoniyi's incident, Soccernet.ng reports.

This comes after the 27-year-old suffered a ruptured intestine in Nottingham Forest's 2-2 draw against Leicester City last month, crashing into the woodwork in a sequence of play that could've been prevented if the linesman had raised the offside flag.

Awoniyi had to undergo multiple surgeries which saw him placed in an induced coma. Thankfully, he's now alright, and on his way to full recovery.

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As per ESPN, FIFA will roll out “advanced semi-automated offside technology” for VAR at the Club World Cup, which could eliminate the kind of situation that led to Awoniyi being in a coma.

FIFA held successful trials of the enhanced offside tech at the Intercontinental Cup in December, and at a number of youth tournaments. It gives a quick audio signal in the assistant's ear, instructing them to raise the flag in very obvious offside situations, like that of Awoniyi.

It was mentioned that the new technology tracks player's movements and that of the ball, providing immediate feedback to the officials if there's an offside situation, rather than allowing play to go on, which was what led to the unfortunate incident of the former Union Berlin striker.

The use of this technology isn't 100% effective, and doesn't mean there'll be a complete cut-out of delayed offside. However, it does mean there'll be a reduction, and since the Club World Cup will be the trial stage, further tweaks after proper tests could mean the technology is here to stay in a bid to create safer environments for the players on the pitch.

“I'm sure that, for all 117 match officials selected for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, being among those who are participating in the competition the first time ever is something very exciting, because they will be part of football history.

“These innovations demonstrate FIFA's commitment to using technology and improving the overall football experience, with a particular emphasis on enhancing the transparency and understanding of refereeing decisions,” FIFA's referee committee chairman, Pierluigi Collina said.

There'll be a huge change in the new Club World Cup in the United States as fans in Stadiums will be able to watch the VAR review on the big screens. Previously, only the referees had access to the screens, and only the outcomes were displayed on the big screens.

While fans still won't be allowed to hear the discussion between the referee and the video assistant, they will be able to follow the replays that are being shown on the pitchside monitor to make the decision.

FIFA also confirmed that referees will wear body cameras with the footage immediately available to global broadcasters. This'll aid in proper assessment of altercation with players during heated moments on the football pitch.