CBF unveils trial of challenge system in Copa do Brasil Feminina

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Central do Timão

·20. September 2025

CBF unveils trial of challenge system in Copa do Brasil Feminina

By Henrique Pereira / Central do Timão Newsroom

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) announced last Thursday, 18, the experimental implementation of the Football Video Support (FVS) in the decisive stages of the Women's Brazil Cup 2025. The new feature will allow coaches to request video reviews during matches from the quarterfinals onwards. Corinthians, which beat Juventude 3-0 last Wednesday, is already among the eight classified teams.

Unlike VAR, the new system does not have referees in external booths following the game in real time. The check will be triggered exclusively by the team coaches, who will have to hand a challenge card to the fourth referee. The reviewable plays remain the same as the previous protocol: goals, penalty decisions, direct red cards, and identity errors. The central referee will analyze the plays on a monitor at the edge of the field, with the technical support of the fourth referee.

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Photo: Reproduction/CBF

The FVS will be applied for the first time by a national association, after tests carried out by FIFA in the Women's U-17 and U-20 World Cups. For evaluation purposes, the system will be used in ten matches, including quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals of the Brazil Cup, as well as matches of the Paulista Cup, with the support of the Paulista Football Federation. For this, the CBF Refereeing Commission has called 17 referees and assistants qualified to act on these occasions.

According to Rodrigo Cintra, president of the CBF Refereeing Commission, the initiative aims to increase transparency and reinforce the credibility of decisions. The leader highlighted that training has already been carried out with the classified coaches.

"Once given to the coaches, to the teams, the right to request this check, we start to technically analyze with the property, knowledge, experience that the referee has, and from there his decision becomes even more respected, which is what the CBF expects in the end: the fairness of football", he explained.

The measure comes after recent criticism from Corinthians about the refereeing of the Women's Brasileirão final against Cruzeiro, contesting the non-expulsion of forward Byanca Brasil in the first leg in Belo Horizonte, after an elbow on defender Érika, which resulted in only a yellow card. The episode increased pressure on the CBF to release the full VAR audios.

While waiting for the definition of the opponent in the quarterfinals of the Women's Brazil Cup, Timão remains focused on the Paulista Championship. This Saturday, 20, at 11 am, the Brabas receive Santos, also at Fazendinha, for the first phase of the state competition.

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