Everton and Man United at centre of Premier League trial, Ex-PGMOL chief intrigued
Everton have had a concerning pre-season so far, as the Toffees suffered yet another defeat.
West Ham beat Everton 2-1 in the Premier League Summer Series at Soldier Field in Chicago on Wednesday (30 July) as David Moyes reunited with some of his former players.
The Toffees have yet to win during preseason, which has prompted supporters to get agitated by their lack of signings.
Moyes‘ side are now at the centre of a fresh trial, which could cause supporters to become even more annoyed with decisions made against their team.
Goodison News presents the exclusive opinion of former Premier League and FIFA-listed referee Keith Hackett.
Premier League to trial referee body cams during Summer Series
The Premier League and VAR came under fire plenty of times last season for their failures.
Everton, like many teams in the league, felt the effects of these mistakes, and the Premier League are now trialling body cameras for referees during the Summer Series in America.
Ex-referee Keith Hackett– speaking exclusively to Goodison News – is intrigued by the introduction of body cams and how they could impact refereeing decisions.
“The body cameras at grassroots level have been used as a deterrent against abusive behaviour towards the official,” Hackett said.
“Frankly, at the elite level of the game, it will serve two purposes. On key decisions, the PGMOL will be able to view what the referee witnessed and examine the viewing angle and positioning of the official. Therefore, it will be used as a future training aid.
“I do not doubt that it will also be used as an extra camera for television to have a close-up of an incident. At this stage, it appears that the cameras are not able to pick up sound and the exchanges between the referee and irate players.
“Perhaps that arrangement is for the better. I look forward to viewing the outcome.”
Everton fans could get first view of body cams against Man United
The Toffees play Manchester United on Sunday (3 August), in which they could get a view of how the system will work.
One eye will be on how the Toffees perform after such a poor start to preseason, and another will be on how the referees perform with the potential for officials’ decision-making to be costly next season.
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