The Premier League will be breaking new ground on Tuesday during the game between Crystal Palace and Manchester United being held at Selhurst Park as it will be the first time in the tournament history that a referee will be wearing a live camera, although the footage will not be broadcasted live.
Referee Jarred Gillett will be the man trusted to use the head-mounted device called a ‘RefCam’, in an attempt to display the difficulties a referee faces in the course of the ninety minutes of a football game, states a Daily Mail report.
This is a great move made by the league especially with fans, players and managers all coming to the scrutiny of the level of refereeing that has been on display in the country in recent times.
The most recent incident was the shocking display by Stuart Atwell during Nottingham Forest’s trip to Goodison Park in April where Forest felt they had three goals disallowed in an unfair fashion by Atwell who is known to be a long time supporter of fellow relegation candidates, Luton Town.
This is not the only incident where the officials have been criticised and if the ‘RefCam’ proves to be successful, it could help in making the referees more accountable for their actions and give the fans a better understanding behind the decisions made by the officials.