Football: The camera saves the referees

Another “weapon” against bowling that referees receive during matches, both from players and agents, as well as from spectators is being tested by the English Football Association.

From February until now, about 100 referees in minor league matches have integrated into their uniform, along with all other electronic communication systems, a small camera with which they record the moments when they are “attacked” after a decision.

As it emerged from the research, the referees who have the camera on them feel more confident and safer than the rest of their colleagues.

The reason for the FA to activate and carry out this particular “experiment” was a BBC investigation, where hundreds of referees officiating matches of lower categories in England said they feared for their safety when blowing the whistle.

How body cameras work

Body cameras don’t record the entire match, but they do have a 30-second auto-shot. This means that if a referee is going to be verbally or even physically attacked, they can press the record button on the camera and it will record for 30 seconds. Material is automatically transferred to cloud storage and is subject to data protection rules.

The device is encrypted, meaning the referee cannot access the material, and neither can anyone else if it is stolen.

The recorded footage can be used in disciplinary hearings to support what the referee will record on the match sheet, but can only be of players, coaches or officials. Conversely, footage from viewers cannot be used.

The result of the “experiment”

In its report, the FA emphasized, among other things, that the body cameras ultimately worked as a “deterrent” and underlined that since the test began in February until now, none of the referees has had to activate their camera.

“The first signs are positive. Referees feel more confident, protected and safer,” Daniel Meeson, the FA’s head of refereeing, told BBC Radio 5 Live, adding: “Referees told us that some players took a second look, saw the bodycam and made a joke like : “I better not argue with you referee, I have seen the body camera”. It’s a positive start, so in my opinion it looks like the presence of the devices is finally working the way we want it to, which is deterrence. It is better to prevent wrongdoing and prevent the bad behavior of participants than to have to cure it.”

The body camera test on referees is the first of its kind in the world and has been approved by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), football’s lawmakers. It has taken place across select leagues in Essex, Liverpool, Middlesbrough and Worcester, with all indications that its run will be extended into the 2023-24 season. As for the cost, as there are around 28,000 referees in England, if it is eventually approved for use in all leagues, the FA will look for ways to fund it, as they don’t want the clubs to shoulder it.

What the BBC study found

1,000 umpires took part in the BBC Radio 5 Live survey of bowling received by umpires during matches. Of these, 293 said they had been physically abused by spectators, players, coaches or managers. Some described being punched, hit on the head and spat on, while almost all respondents had experienced some form of verbal abuse.

Also 57 of them answered that they have received death threats against themselves or their loved ones.

Source: Daily