CONCACAF experimenting with 5 referees in the Europa League?

FIFA and the European Football Federation are teaming up to roll out a five-official refereeing system for the newly rebranded Europa League.

The news was dropped this past Sunday by FIFA President Sepp Blatter.

The whole idea behind this experiment is to try and cut down on those frustrating officiating errors we see during matches. It’s set to kick off during the group stages of the tournament that takes over from the old UEFA Cup. Basically, two extra officials will be stationed right behind the goal line to keep a close eye on everything happening inside the penalty box. We don't quite know yet if they'll act as assistants to the head ref or if they'll operate independently.

I know this is just an article from a news site, but I caught the segment on TV as well, so I was wondering—what do you all think about this? 😕

I think they were reporting on this over at CNN; apparently, there’s some mention of this being used instead of standard surveillance cameras or something like that.
Personally, I think it’s a solid move. It might feel a little weird at first—though, let's be honest, we won't see them everywhere just yet—but I don't see any downside here. In fact, it would be even better if they could act as assistants.

Why the hell are you all so obsessed with Index🤣

It’s true.

I guess Wenger is probably thrilled right about now, since he’s been pushing for this kind of thing for ages.

It’s nonsense, if you ask me. They are simply delaying the inevitable—which would be the obvious fix: actually utilizing those 17,000 cameras already positioned around the pitch. I suspect that in twenty years, people will look back and laugh at the sheer stupidity of what they're attempting right now.

Laura Martinez2 said:It’s nonsense, if you ask me. They are simply delaying the inevitable—which would be the obvious fix: actually utilizing those 17,000 cameras already positioned around the pitch. I suspect that in twenty years, people will look back and laugh at the sheer stupidity of what they're attempting right now.

No, I suspect people will actually be mourning the way the game used to be.

coastalridge64 said:No, I suspect people will actually be mourning the way the game used to be.

People might cry over plenty of things, but I doubt any sane person will complain about soccer finally being played by the rules. That doesn't mean everything will run perfectly, but at least there will be more consistency than the absolute mess we're seeing today.

Laura Martinez2 said:People might cry over plenty of things, but I doubt any sane person will complain about soccer finally being played by the rules. That doesn't mean everything will run perfectly, but at least there will be more consistency than the absolute mess we're seeing today.

And when we inevitably lose, who are we all going to point the finger at then? 😁

Look, if the ball is dancing right on the opponent's goal line, we're in deep trouble. But if it's dancing on our line? Then we're doing just fine. 😁 That's the bottom line.

Giampaolo’s working on a system to build a robo-referee, and man, it’s gonna be flawless. A total machine. So, isn't this whole argument basically dead in the water?

One single slip-up from that machine and it’s game over, judging by

blueridge32 said:Giampaolo’s working on a system to build a robo-referee, and man, it’s gonna be flawless. A total machine. So, isn't this whole argument basically dead in the water?

Well, then... 🤣🤣🤣🤣🙏

I mean, I’d just throw another guy into the mix, but then who the hell is gonna cover the backline?...😕

It’s like handball, really. You’ve got two on the field, one defending, one attacking, plus two assistants, someone watching the coaches, a delegate, a referee supervisor, and official camera crews. At this rate, the whole crew will be rolling up to matches in tiny shuttle buses.

Look, if it works, it works. I honestly doubt this kind of experiment could turn out badly. Besides, since they’ve already tested it in the youth academies, trying it at the higher level—which the Europa League 🙏 certainly is—suggests things went well enough.

Honestly, I say just get rid of the ref altogether. If someone commits a foul or catches an offside, they can just hash it out and be fair about it. Me and my buddies actually experiment with stuff like that down at our local park pickup games...

We should start a league without referees🙂 just to counter this current 😁

It doesn't bother me personally, but given all the tech we have—at least in the top tier leagues and tournaments—I don't see this as a leap forward. It feels more like half a step... We’d be much better off if cameras were used as actual tools, with just one extra official stationed at the monitor. Imagine if a "director" simply fed the footage of a specific play to that official as quickly as possible. Then they could make the call themselves or advise the head ref, who would then finalize it. That would be the ideal way...

Jessica Rogers2 said:Honestly, I say just get rid of the ref altogether. If someone commits a foul or catches an offside, they can just hash it out and be fair about it. Me and my buddies actually experiment with stuff like that down at our local park pickup games...

If there weren't any referees in MLS, half the league would be spending their weekends in the ER.🤣