Coming soon to us? Watch: The next generation of VAR has already been activated in France
The FVS system, which allows coaches to request a review of incidents, has officially entered use in the third league. Already on its debut evening, it led to a sending-off, a goal confirmation, and the cancellation of a second yellow card.
French football recorded a significant innovation yesterday, Friday, when the Football Video Support (FVS) system was officially activated for the first time in the third league. The system functions similarly to a "challenge," allowing coaches to request a re-examination of specific incidents using video technology.
The first use occurred during the match between Aubagne and Thionville. When a Thionville player was heading toward the goal, he was brought down by Bilal Taufni, the last defender. Thionville coach Julien Francois requested an FVS review of the play.
The review justified the request, and Taufni was sent off with a straight red card as early as the fifth minute.
Under the new protocol, every coach is allowed two challenges per match. If a request is proven correct, the challenge is retained; if the coach is wrong, he loses it.
The system was put to the test multiple times on its debut evening. In the match between Caen and Valenciennes, it was used to verify a controversial goal by Fahd El Khoumisti, which was ultimately confirmed. Simultaneously, in the match between Bastia and Le Puy-en-Velay, the Bastia coach requested a challenge following a second yellow card issued to Ismael Cisse. After reviewing the play, officials decided to cancel the yellow card, preventing the team from being reduced to ten players.
FVS is intended to offer a simpler and more cost-effective alternative to full VAR, giving coaches greater agency in deciding when to trigger a review.
