Premier League referee to wear RefCam for first time at Crystal Palace v Manchester United match

Jared Gillett with a RefCam head-mounted camera before refereeing Monday night's Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Manchester United Photo: Shutterstock /James Marsh

A Premier League referee will wear a video camera for the first time during Crystal Palace's match with Manchester United ahead of a documentary about the officials.

Jared Gillett will use a head-mounted “RefCam” to offer “further insight and training into the requirements of refereeing”, the senior said. The footage will not be broadcast live, but will be available later this year when Premier League Productions (PLP) in-house produces a special programme.

Proposals to install body cameras for referees to reduce opposition from outside players have become a regular topic of discussion among football legislators in recent years. In February, the Football Association launched a pilot project – the first of its kind in the world – in the four lower leagues after receiving permission from the game's legislature, the International Football Association Council.

Referee Rob Jones also wore a chest-mounted camera during a pre-season friendly between Chelsea and Brighton last July. Elsewhere, Daniel Schlager wore a head-mounted RefCam camera during the 2-2 draw between Frankfurt and Wolfsburg in February in Germany.

The proposal to record exchanges between referees and players has been discussed for several decades. David Elleray wore a microphone while refereeing a Millwall v Arsenal match in the late 1980s to become more aware of the pressure referees faced.

“The technology is a device mounted on the head that integrated into the regular communication system of judges. System,” the Premier League said in a new statement.

“Its one-off use for educational purposes has been approved by IFAB, the Premier League, PGMOL and both clubs. We would like to thank Crystal Palace and Manchester United for their support of this project.”

Meanwhile, the FA has made a conscious effort to curb abuse of referees and match officials this season. new rules have been introduced which include warnings to players for, among other things, crowding a referee.

Post-match comments from players, managers or officials may result in a charge or warning if they “suggest bias, attack on their integrity, are personally offensive, prolonged or particularly unreasonable.”