According to FIFA and an interview with Pierluigi Collina, the chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, a new system similar to the VAR system has been announced.

This has been met with interest in the football community and presented as a possible replacement for the VAR system. This system is called the FVS (“Football Video Support”) system. So what is the purpose of this new system? How will the new system affect the future of VAR? What will the introduction of the new system bring to football? To find answers to these questions, we present to you the study of the “Azerbaijan Football Referees” Public Union on the future prospects of the VAR system, the development of the newly emerging FVS system and the comparison of these systems.

It took many years for the VAR system to become what we see today. This is no coincidence. FIFA must approve all changes it wants to make to the rules of football through an official procedure, and the main voice here is the IFAB, an independent organization.

IFAB first accepts possible changes at the level of an official proposal. The IFAB then tests possible changes in real competitions (usually at the national team level for the lower age groups) together with FIFA as part of its research programmes. These tests take place under the supervision and direct guidance of the IFAB Technical Subcommittee. Thus, only possible game changes that have passed the technical tests, consultations and discussions are approved by the IFAB General Assembly.

The development path above will be the same for the new FVS system and its official approval will take several more years. However, it is important to note that the FVS has already started its development and initial tests have been completed.

So what is the new FVS and why is it being created?

For a brief understanding, here is the agreed working principle of the FVS system and the sequence of steps in matches:

1. The FVS system is used, as with VAR, only in the following scenarios where there is a clear and obvious error or serious incident that has been missed: Goal/no goal; Penalty/missed penalty; Direct red cards (not including the second yellow card); Wrong decision (when the referee warns the wrong player or sends him off the field).

2. Used when the team requests a replay of the incident after the referee has made a decision (the gesture to continue the game is also considered a decision).

3. Only the head coach of the team (or, in his absence, the main team representative in the technical area) may request a replay. This request must be made immediately after the game episode, by the head coach raising his thumb in the air and presenting the request card to the fourth referee. However, any player may ask the head coach to request a replay. This is because players see the incident better when they are close to the game episode.

4. The fourth referee will inform the referee of the replay request and, if play has stopped after the episode (and has not restarted), the referee will approach the monitor and watch the replay, as in the VAR system. If play continues without stopping after the episode, the referee will stop the game when the ball is in the neutral zone and go to the monitor and review the replay.

5. During the replay, the image will be presented to the referee with the help of an operator. The operator will display different replays on the monitor (e.g. different camera angles, split screen, different replay speeds, etc.).

6. The referee’s initial decision will only be overturned if the replays clearly demonstrate that the decision was clearly or manifestly wrong or that a serious incident was missed. As the FVS system uses a small number of cameras, replays may often be unsatisfactory and in such cases the referee may not change the initial decision.

7. A request for a review must be made immediately so that:

o the decision cannot be overturned when play is restarted after a stoppage as required by the Laws of the Game;

o the team manager is able to avoid unnecessary delay in the game while he considers whether to request a review.

8. After a goal has been scored, the fourth official will review the footage on the monitor and inform the referee if there is a clear or manifest infringement. In this case, if the decision is open to interpretation, the referee will review it himself and make the final decision.

Additionally, it should be noted that each team can only request a review twice (as agreed during the test phase, subject to change in the future). If the team is right as a result of this request, the attempt to request a review will not be lost.

So what is the difference between VAR and FVS systems?

Comparative analysis of VAR and FVS:

To answer this question, the objectives and possible differences of VAR and FVS systems are presented below.

In general, both VAR and FVS technologies aim to increase fairness and accuracy in football refereeing. Their conceptual objectives and sequence of application during the game are very similar. However, their scope, costs and application principles differ.

Final conclusion:

The comparison clearly shows that the FVS system, being a simplified version of VAR, can be used more widely. From this it can be concluded that FVS, without replacing the VAR system, will help to bring video replay technologies and capabilities to lower budget and lower leagues. The main feature of this system is to provide teams with the opportunity to review episodes they do not agree with without the need for additional VAR judges and VAR infrastructure. This will also help teams not to be dissatisfied with the refereeing.

In conclusion, it can be said with confidence that FIFA does not intend to replace the VAR system and is striving for its wider implementation. Because today VAR is already successfully used in all confederations, 50 countries and more than 200 competitions. In conclusion, let us emphasize that FVS is at the testing stage and it is not known when it will be included in the football rules.

One thing is clear: if IFAB approves this system, it will be possible to apply the video replay capabilities of FVS in the lower leagues, including the initial stage of our country's cup competition and the first division competitions.

It should be noted that this study was prepared by the "Azerbaijan Football Referees" Public Union (AFH) in order to educate the Azerbaijani football community about the innovations in the rules of the football game.