In the next Juventus-Inter "Derby d'Italia" on Saturday, September 13th at 6:00 PM, Serie A will launch a new innovation that will transform the way we watch soccer: the RefCam. This is a high-resolution micro-camera, weighing only six grams and attached to the base of the referee’s microphone headset. This technology allows fans to see key parts of the match from the referee's viewpoint, providing a new perspective on the most intense action. The RefCam was introduced by FIFA and certified by the IFAB, the international organization that determines the game's rules, and was previously tested at the Club World Cup. Serie A is now among the first national leagues to implement it on the pitch. It will be used for warm-ups, set pieces, and select in-game situations, with the goal of enhancing television production with stunning replays and increasing transparency in referee decisions. The video feed, in fact, will also be made available to VAR. This is a strategic decision for the Serie A League, as it aims to bring global audiences closer to the soccer product by providing an increasingly immersive experience and to emphasize the complexity of refereeing. “The introduction of the RefCam”, said Antonio Zappi, President of the AIA (Italian Referees’ Association), “will offer a genuine perspective from the referee's perspective on the game action being evaluated. This will enable fans to gain a comprehensive understanding of how complicated the refereeing role already is, even at the level of visually perceiving dynamic game events.This is an additional task that our officials must take on in order to enhance the spectacle of soccer with new perspectives and exclusive images, and we will embrace it with the usual openness to technological innovation that Italian referees are known for".
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