SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — FIFA is employing an alternative review system that allows coaches to appeal two referee’s decisions per match at the Under-20 soccer World Cup in Chile
The football video support (FVS) is a “simplified version” of VAR and has transformed the youth tournament into a testing ground for new technologies.
Cards that vary between blue and purple are held by coaches, who are in charge of requesting reviews.
During the group stage, its use has proven crucial, defining the course of several matches played in the cities of Santiago, Valparaíso, Rancagua and Talca. The system was deployed in more than a dozen matches in the early part of the tournament.
FVS was first used when South Korea coach Lee Chang-Won used a card for the first time during the opening match against Ukraine. He challenged a penalty, but the request was ultimately ruled out by the referee.
Since then, the review system has had a role in several matches. Of the 12 games in the first round of the group stage, the “light VAR” was used in seven.
It proved decisive in Norway’s 1-0 victory over Nigeria after a review of a handball by Nigeria defender Ahmed Akinyele, which American referee Joe Dickerson had ignored.
FVS also disallowed a goal in Argentina's 4-1 win against Australia — the review denying a tying goal for the Socceroos.
Mexico's use of the system helped it overturn a penalty decision in a match they ended up tying 2-2 against Spain. It also led to Paraguay winger Enso González being red-carded after kicking South Korea striker Hyeon-oh Kim.
Unlike VAR, which uses special cameras and a supporting team of officials, FVS referees review their decisions based on images captured by the television broadcast, without further assistance.
According to world soccer's ruling body FIFA, the FVS system aims to “democratize football by introducing video review technology as a complementary option,” not only for top-level competitions but also for those that “could not afford VAR infrastructure,” thanks to its low cost and simplified operation.
Coaches can only appeal in four specific situations: whether or not there was a goal; whether or not there was a penalty, over a direct red card, or in case of suspicion that a card was not shown to the correct offender.
The system had already been tested by FIFA in other competitions, such as the 2024 Youth Championship/Blue Stars in Switzerland and the 2024 Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia, and it is expected to be expanded to other youth categories.
Some have praised the system, but others have expressed reluctance.
“It’s a good tool to avoid constantly stopping the game,” said Chile coach Nicolás Córdova after a 2-0 loss against Japan.
Some fans, however, have criticized the long waiting periods until a decision is made.
“In a game like this, we had 10 extra minutes because they stopped the whole time to review things that clearly hadn’t happened,” Brazilian fan Tiago Dias said after his country lost 2-1 against Morocco.
Some coaches, such as Morocco’s Mohamed Ouahbi, said they would make extensive use of the tool, regardless of whether there was a violation or not.
“I’m going to use the card because the option is there. We have two cards and we have to use them," Ouahbi said.
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Referee Khalid Saleh Alturais checks the VAR screen during a FIFA U-20 World Cup Group B soccer match between Ukraine and Paraguay at National Stadium in Santiago, Chile, Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
Panama's coach Jorge Dely holds out a blue card to request VAR revision, during a FIFA U-20 World Cup Group B soccer match against South Korea at Elias Figueroa Brander stadium in Valparaiso, Chile, Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
Nigeria's coach Aliyu Zubair asks for a VAR review to referee Joao Pinheiro, of Portugal, during a FIFA U-20 World Cup Group F soccer match against Colombia at Fiscal Stadium in Talca, Chile, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Portland, which is welcoming a WNBA team back to the city after 24 years, selected veteran forward Bridget Carleton with the first pick in Friday's expansion draft.
Guard Julie Allemand, who played last season for the Los Angeles Sparks, was selected by the Toronto Tempo with its first pick.
The Tempo won a coin flip and opted to take the sixth pick in the college draft on April 13 over the top pick in the expansion draft. So Portland went first on Friday and will have the seventh pick in the college draft.
Carleton, who has played for the last seven seasons for the Minnesota Lynx and averaged 6.5 points and 3.6 rebounds a game last season off the bench, was an unrestricted free agent.
“Once we finalized our process, and zoomed in on Bridget, and knew we had our first expansion pick, it was obvious we did not want to have Toronto hold our destiny in their hands," Portland general manger Vanja Cernivec said.
Allemand averaged 5.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 5 assists in 34 games last season.
“This group gives us the ability to compete from day one while continuing to build, and embraces the opportunity to help shape something new in a new country as Canada’s first WNBA team,” Toronto general manager Monica Wright Rogers said.
The league's teams protected five players apiece ahead of the expansion draft but those lists were not made public, leading to speculation about which players were available.
On Wednesday, the Chicago Sky announced trades with the Tempo and the Fire, which prevented the expansion teams from selecting Sky players. In exchange, the Fire got the No. 17 pick in the college draft and the No. 26 pick went to the Tempo.
The expansion draft had two rounds, with up to six picks for each team in each round. The teams alternated picks, with the Tempo picking first in the second round after the Fire got the first overall selection.
Teams could only lose two players to the expansion draft. If a player was taken in the first round, a second player from that same franchise couldn't be taken until the second round.
Following Allemand, the Tempo selected center Nyara Sabally from the Liberty, guard Marina Mabrey from the Sun, forward Aaliya Nye from the Aces, guard Lexi Held from the Mercury, and forward Maria Conde from the Valkyries.
In the second round the Tempo selected forward Maria Kliundikova from the Lynx, center Adja Kane from the Liberty, center Nikolina Milic from the Sun, guard Kitija Laksa from the Mercury, and guard Kristy Wallace from the Fever.
After Carleton, the Portland Fire selected guard Carla Leite from the Valkyries, center Luisa Geiselsoder from the Stars, forward Emily Engstler from the Mystics, guard Maya Caldwell from the Dream and forward Chloe Bibby from the Fever.
In the second round Portland took guard Haley Jones from the Wings, forward Nyadiew Puoch from the Dream, guard Sara Ashlee Barker from the Sparks, guard Sug Sutton from the Mystics and guard Nika Muhl from the Storm.
Mabry was also an unrestricted free agent. Each team was allowed to pick only one unrestricted free agent.
The teams still do not know when free agency will open. More than 80% of the players are free agents this year, as many players have expiring contracts or opted out of the previous collective bargaining agreement.
The college draft is set for April 13 and training camps open on April 19. The season will start on May 8.
The Tempo and Fire join the WNBA as the league's 14th and 15th teams. Portland previously had a WNBA team, also called the Fire, that played from 2000 to 2002.
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Toronto Tempo general manager Monica Wright Rogers, right, and assistant general manager Eli Horowitz pose for a photo after speaking to media following the WNBA Expansion Draft in Toronto, Friday, April 3, 2026. (Sammy Kogan/The Canadian Press via AP)
FILE - Minnesota Lynx forward Bridget Carleton (6) dribbles the ball up court against the Phoenix Mercury during the second half of Game 2 of a WNBA basketball playoff semifinals series Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn, File)
