Football is very popular all over the world. So a multi-billion dollar investment industry has been created around the game. So all eyes should be on all unpleasant incidents and mistakes. Besides, everyone's attention is also focused on the decision taken by the referee. This work does not compare with modern technology. Authorities have been using various technologies in broadcasting, live streaming, etc. for many years. But there was no way out except to rely on the chief referee on sensitive issues like goals, offside, penalties. As a result, almost a little wrong decision would have been made in the game.
Authorities have been working on a joint production with various companies for several years to get rid of it. In the past, some technologies were used, but not so much in large venues; However, at times they were criticized by critics for not being able to work properly. But they are being used with great interest in World Cup in Qatar. Goal-line technology has been improved, with video assistant referees being used in large venues such as the World Cup for the first time. Near-field communication technology has also been used in Telstar Eighteen, the official ball of the World Cup. Let's learn more about these technologies.
Goal-line technology
After the successful use of Japan Club World Cup, Confederations Cup, the use of goal-line technology for the first time in a big event like the 2014 World Cup started through various debates. At that time, he got a lot of praise from those who were interested, bypassing the criticism of the critics. But because it is so expensive, the European League has not been used much, except for major international events. Following the 2015 Women's World Cup, 2022 World Cup in Qatar, along with other advanced technologies, is aimed at scoring accurate goals.
Goal-line technology basically determines whether the ball has crossed the goalpost bar or the goal line or not. And that information is passed on to other authorities, including the referee, in less than a second. Referees and others have special smartwatches to receive information.
The technology was officially approved by the International Football Association Board in 2012. The goal-line technology called GoalControl, developed by a German-based company, was later used in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup. At that time, the technology was able to determine each of the 6 goals scored in the entire event.
The goal control system uses fourteen high-powered cameras for two of the seven goalposts. The footage obtained from the camera is automatically tested by a software to see if the ball has completely crossed the bar or line of the goalpost. The results were then reported to the authorities within moments.
On the other hand, the goal can be decided by placing magnetic field cables under the goalpost bar and goal line. In this case, some special technology has to be added to the ball used in the game. As the ball approached the goalpost, the distance between the said receptor and the magnetic field of the cable was calculated by the software and the authorities were informed as before whether the ball crossed the goal line or not.
Video Assistant Referee (VAR)
Video assistant referees or VARs are by far the most famous technology in the history of football. In 2016, it was recognized by the International Football Association Board's 'Law of the Game'. Its main function is to examine the footage of the game that just happened during the game with the help of video based technology and come to the right conclusion.
Conclusions can be of two kinds. First, the chief referee may seek the VAR's recommendation directly before announcing a decision. If the VAR does not find any error in the referee's decision, it does not need to contact the referee. This is known as 'Silent Check'. That is, the referee's decision is correct. On the other hand, if the referee's decision is wrong, they inform the referee of the correct decision. In that case, the referee may announce the decision of the VAR himself, or stand at the designated place and apply for an on-field review. The entire communication of the VAR with the referee is through the airpiece. Also, the chief referee can go to the mobile-monitor-dex located in the 'Referee Review Area' and just look at the footage and come to a definite conclusion.
During the game, the Chief Referee can take the help of VAR in four cases - to check whether the goal is legitimate, whether there is any foul in D-box, handball; That is, to decide a penalty, to show a red card to a guilty player and to show a card to an innocent player by mistake, to cancel it.
Usually there are three operators in the video operation room or VOR to perform the whole task. A Chief Video Assistant Referee, who will liaise directly with the Chief Referee on the field and make the appropriate decision after a review. Second, the assistant video assistant will act as a referee; Who must be a current or former referee recognized by the board of the International Football Association. His job is to keep a close eye on the game and to keep him informed by checking reviews from the main VAR. Third, will play the role of replay operator.
However, a total of eight people, including a VAR, three assistant VARs and four operators, are on duty in the video operations room for a quick and accurate decision at this year's World Cup in Russia. Two of the four replay operators will replay the possible angle footage of the incident. The job of the other two is to replay the footage of the angle where the incident took place under the direction of the Chief VAR and Assistant VAR.
For this year's World Cup, VAR members are performing the entire task from the Video Operations (VOR) room of the Moscow International Broadcast Center. Video footage from 33 cameras in each of the 12 stadiums in 11 Russian cities is delivered directly to the VOAR via fiber optic network. Members of the VOAR use powerful Fiber-Linked radio systems to communicate with FIFA authorities and the chief referee stationed at the stadium.
Although video assistant referee technology is now quite advanced and accurate, FIFA authorities have had to deal with it at an early stage. It was first used in the 2016 FIFA Club World Cup final in Japan. At the time, Real Madrid director and world-famous French footballer Zinedine Zidane described it as a "source of confusion". In the 2016 Confederations Cup, some of the most controversial moments caused by VAR drew criticism from critics.
Although a goal scored by Aves in the Premier League match between Boavista and Aves in February this year was likely to go offside, the camera footage used in the VAR was obscured by Boavista, a supporter's flag. As a result, the chief referee declared it a goal despite his doubts.
Melbourne also won the match 1-0 between Newcastle Jets FC and Melbourne Victory FC in this year's A-League Grand Final. It was later revealed that the only goal would have been canceled due to offside, but the VAR software failed to detect the error at the time. However, as Russia later provided accurate information on World Cup qualifiers, the authorities decided to keep the technology at the core of the World Cup. No major errors, or technical glitches, have been reported so far.
Telstar Eighteen
One of the main attractions of this year's World Cup is the official match ball 'Telstar Eighteen' made by Adidas. Adidas designed the first 'Telstar' ball, suitable for viewing on black and white television during the 1970 World Cup. This ball of 32 textured panels has six textured panels in the World Cup in Russia. Strong glue is used to seamlessly connect instead of sewing. The most interesting of these changes is the use of near-field communication in the ball.