Manchester United’s preparations for the new campaign are nearly complete, with Ruben Amorim fine-tuning his squad during the final stretch of pre-season.
The Red Devils will face Everton on Sunday in Atlanta, bringing the curtain down on their Summer Series tour of the United States.
Amorim has used the tour to experiment tactically and test younger talents, while also dealing with the uncertainty surrounding several players’ futures.
As Manchester United’s squad sharpens up, attention now turns to the officials – and a groundbreaking change could soon alter how games are viewed and judged.
Sunday’s clash against Everton is set to feature a Premier League first, placing United at the centre of history yet again.
The Premier League is likely to trial referee body cameras during the final round of Summer Series matches in the US, with United’s game selected as one of the testing grounds, as per the BBC.
Thomas Bramall will oversee the Red Devils’ fixture against the Toffees, potentially equipped with a bodycam and microphone to capture never-before-seen footage from a referee’s perspective.
This move follows a successful test by FIFA during the Club World Cup, where their head of refereeing, Pierluigi Collina, said the footage “went beyond our expectations.”
The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has now approved the extension of the trial to professional competitions outside of FIFA’s domain, giving the Premier League the green light.
If two-thirds of Premier League clubs agree, bodycams could become part of the upcoming season – though the frequency of their use remains undecided.
Manchester United were already involved in a similar experiment in May, when Jarred Gillett wore a bodycam during their 4-0 defeat to Crystal Palace.
That instance, however, was a one-off to support a promotional programme focused on referees.
At the Club World Cup, bodycam technology helped expose a handball by an Atletico Madrid defender that wasn’t visible to the referee on the field due to a blocked line of vision.
With VAR stepping in to correct the oversight, the use of real-time ref cam footage could enhance transparency and fan insight.
This follows last season’s introduction of semi-automated offside technology, and this latest feature set to be trialled this weekend could be potentially revolutionary.
Manchester United could now be at the forefront of ushering in this new officiating era – one that could dramatically shift how the beautiful game is officiated and consumed.
