The Dutch Football Association has begun advertising for video analysts as it prepares for the introduction of video technology in the Eredivisie next season.
The KNVB has been piloting a scheme to introduce video technology since 2013, with plans to allow each team the opportunity to question a referee’s decision once every half.
According to the Dutch website Voetbal International, a board meeting last week determined to begin the search for analysts, with the hope that they will begin work as soon as they are given permission by Fifa’s International Football Association Board (IFAB).
“These are men who analyse the images in a van and make contact within seconds with the referee in the field, as it has long been a common practice in American sports,” said the KNVB director Bert van Oostveen. “The KNVB hopes to deploy video assistants quickly. The idea is to maximise their preparation for a live test, which we will do as soon as the IFAB approves it.”
According to a report in the Sunday Mirror last year, the Football Association chairman, Greg Dyke, is fully behind the pilot scheme, which also has support from Germany and the United States.
“The proposal was tried out in 24 games last season, with video referees highlighting incidents in which they would have been able to assist match officials,” said a KNVB spokesman, Koen Adriaanse.
“It was found to be a big opportunity to help referees and their assistants. There was a lot of interest in the experiment from the FAs of England, Germany and the United States – and we have their support to make an official proposal. The next step will be to see how the system works at youth or Under-21 level – and, if it’s a success, then it could be introduced into senior football.”
