Referees to wear bodycams at Club World Cup

Jarred Gillett wore a bodycam during a Premier League match last season

Referees will wear bodycams at this summer's Club World Cup.

Footage will be made available to broadcasters during matches at the 32-team competition in the United States.

Pierluigi Collina, chairman of the Fifa referees committee, said: "It is a good chance to offer the viewers a new experience, in terms of images taken from a perspective, from an angle of vision which was never offered before."

Jarred Gillett became the first referee to wear a bodycam during a Premier League game in Crystal Palace's 4-0 win over Manchester United in May 2024.

It was permitted as a "one-off" to capture footage for a programme promoting match officials.

Referee bodycams were first trialled in English grassroots football last season, with trials expanded in 2024-25 after results showed a decrease in abuse towards officials.

In February 2024 a referee wore a bodycam during a Bundesliga match for the first time, before one was used during the 1-1 draw between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich in November.

Bodycams have been used in Major League Soccer in recent seasons.

Chelsea and Manchester City are the Premier League teams competing at the Club World Cup, which runs from 15 June to 13 July.