Source: Fifa.com
From my previous article entitled ‘VAR: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’, readers will be aware that FIFA has made a progressive movement towards a greater usage of technology in football. In that article, mention was made of the negative effect of VAR on the momentum and the exciting spontaneity in football.
FIFA, in an attempt to rectify and continue to introduce new technology into the game, has recently embarked on a trial of a new piece of technology at the FIFA Club World Cup hosted in the United Arab Emirates over the course of the last two weeks. This trial has been dubbed a dress rehearsal as it is expected that it will be a part of the officiating infrastructure available to match officials at this year’s World Cup in Qatar.
This new piece of technology has widely been referred to as ‘robotic referees’ owing to the way in which the software operates. Many fans have even gone as far to speculate that the referees used in the Club World Cup were actual robots. This however is not true (at least not for now) and instead the new technology is more akin to a data analysis system to aid referees in making offside decisions.
VAR, which is deemed to have different focuses from this new tech, takes into consideration many different game changing situations in football such as:
- Goal or no goal (offside decisions included)
- Penalty or no penalty
- Direct red card
- Mistaken identity (arises where the wrong player is yellow carded or red carded)
So what exactly is this new piece of technology? The new semi-automated software will target specifically instances where referees must make offside decisions. It seeks to clear up a particularly difficult part of the game, deciding whether a player is onside or not. Offside has proven to be a complicated decision to decide upon given the factors that must be taken into consideration. For example, the time at which the ball is played and the identification of the correct limb that the last defender has which may play the attacker onside.
This is where the new semi-automated offside technology comes in. It operates by what is known as a limb-tracking system. Special cameras attached to the roof of stadia will produce animated footage of the skeleton of players through 29 data points.
It has been referred to as robotic as this system makes automatic offside decisions within a matter of seconds. This creates a faster and more accurate system that is has been alien to the traditionally long and uncertain process with VAR.
However, the main problem lies in the very description of the new software. It is known as semi-automated because referees still retain the power to make the ultimate decision and therefore the decision is not automatic. Although an offside will trigger an automatic alert, this alert is sent to the VAR video room to be validated. A confirmed offside line will be generated by the software and VAR then informs the referee of their decision.
The question then is what has changed? Although the decision to be made by the referee is brought about by a faster and more accurate process, the problem remains that human error is still possible. Some may argue that the solution lies in a fully automated system, but the fact is that technology can draw the offside line but cannot yet assess situations such as whether there is an interference in play by an opponent for example where a player stands in an offside position and obstructs the view of the opponent. Further, the feasibility of equipping stadia with expensive specialized cameras needed for the initiative is also of concern.
Credit must be given to FIFA for the use of technology as a supportive tool for match officials. It is also admirable that FIFA is staying to true to one of its main goals, that is, engaging in a continuous process of development to enhance the football experience on and off the pitch.
It is a great step forward in addressing some concerns with the operation of VAR but its effectiveness must be closely monitored. Although the assessment of game changing situations has been improved using semi-automated technology, the final decision will ultimately stay with the referee where there is room for human error.
Feel free to comment and let us know what you think! Is this new piece of technology a sign of positive things to come?