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. The Video Support offers a simplified alternative to VAR.
There are four categories of decisions that can be reviewed.
The video support procedure involves several steps:
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.
Football video support was first introduced in futsal at the 2021 FIFA Futsal World Cup in Lithuania. [2] 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.
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. [3] In October 2024, FIGC President Gabriele Gravina informed IFAB that they wanted to test video support in Italy's Serie C. [4] Knut Kircher, the sporting director of DFB Schiri GmbH, also expressed that they were open to introducing it in the German leagues. [5] The system will be used in the 2025-26 season of Liga F. [6]
While both video support and VAR aim to correct clear and obvious errors, their implementation and operational procedures differ significantly: