FIFA announced on Monday that its 117-member team of referees for the inaugural expanded Club World Cup will wear body cameras and enforce stricter rules on time-wasting by goalkeepers at the tournament in the United States.

FIFA’s Referees Committee has appointed 35 referees, 58 assistant referees, and 24 video assistant referees from 41 member associations for the tournament, which will run from June 14 to July 13.

FIFA revealed that the body cameras will provide fans with an unprecedented view of what is happening on the pitch, while goalkeepers who hold the ball for more than eight seconds will now see opposing teams awarded corner kicks instead of indirect free kicks.

Pierluigi Collina, Chairman of FIFA’s Referees Committee, said, “We believe this is a good opportunity to offer fans a new experience, with visuals captured from a perspective that have never been offered before.

“It also serves a purpose for referee training, as it is of course important to be able to see what the referee is seeing when assessing decisions.”

Collina highlighted the historic nature of the appointments for the expanded tournament, which will feature 32 teams from FIFA’s six confederations and be held at 12 stadiums in 11 host cities across the United States.

“The selected referees have the privilege of being part of this event for the first time, so I’m sure all the referees will be very happy,” he added.

“We are coming off the back of high-level performances in recent FIFA tournaments. So, the ambition is higher, and when expectations are high, it’s difficult to maintain them. But we are working very hard, and the ‘first referees’ will make a strong contribution to the success of this exciting tournament.”