Football video support

The VS symbol used at the and 2021 FIFA World Cups, appearing on-screen during the review process.

Football video support (FVS) is a system in football designed to help referees correct decisions by reviewing specific incidents upon a coach's request, rather than continuous monitoring by a video assistant referee (VAR). This system was first officially used at the 2021 FIFA Futsal World Cup in Lithuania.

Procedure

There are four categories of decisions that can be reviewed.

• Goal/no goal – attacking team commits an offence, ball out of play, ball entering goal, offside, handball, offences and encroachment during penalty kicks.
• Penalty/no penalty – attacking team commits an offence, ball out of play, location of offence, incorrect awarding, offence not penalised.
• Direct red card – denial of obvious goal-scoring opportunity, serious foul play, violent conduct/biting/spitting, using offensive/insulting/abusive language or gestures.
• Mistaken identity in awarding a red or yellow card.

Check

The video support procedure involves several steps:

1. Challenge Request: Unlike VAR, where decisions are automatically reviewed by a Video Assistant Referee, VS is only initiated when a coach challenges a decision by presenting a review request card. Coaches are allowed two challenges for the regulation time, with an additional challenge in extra time.
2. Review Process: The referee watches the incident on a pitch-side monitor, utilizing various camera angles and speeds to determine whether the initial decision was correct.
3. Final Decision: The referee makes the final decision based on the video evidence. If the challenge is successful, the team retains the right to challenge again; if unsuccessful, the coach loses the ability to challenge for the remainder of that half or extra time.

History

After video support was tested in the Spanish Futsal League, it made its debut in a FIFA tournament at the 2021 Futsal World Cup. Following its successful implementation in futsal, the system was renamed Football Video Support and tested in various FIFA association football tournaments. National federations soon expressed interest in adopting the technology for their own competitions.

Futsal

Football video support was first introduced in futsal at the 2021 FIFA Futsal World Cup in Lithuania. A notable instance of its use was during the final match between Portugal and Argentina, where the Argentine player Cristian Borruto was sent off following a successful challenge by the Portuguese team. Previously, video support had already been tested in the Primera División de Futsal and other futsal competitions organized by the Royal Spanish Football Federation. Video support was used again during the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2024.

Association football

After the successful implementation in futsal, FIFA also used the new system at the Blue Stars/FIFA Youth Cup in 2024 and then announced the implementation for the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. In October 2024, FIGC President Gabriele Gravina informed IFAB that they wanted to test video support in Italy's Serie C. Knut Kircher, the sporting director of DFB Schiri GmbH, also expressed that they were open to introducing it in the German leagues.

Differences to VAR

While both video support and VAR aim to correct clear and obvious errors, their implementation and operational procedures differ significantly:

• Initiation: VAR is automatically triggered by a video assistant referee, whereas VS requires a coach's challenge.
• Final Decision: In both systems, the on-field referee has the final say, but in VAR, the process can include "silent checks" that do not delay the game, unlike the mandatory stop in play for a VS challenge review.