A few years ago a major change in soccer had been triggered by FIFA. With the introduction of the Video Assistant Referee, better known as the VAR, FIFA tried to make the game fairer. For anyone not familiar with soccer and the VAR: the var is a system in which an assistant referee in a van supports the referee by watching, analysing and judging, for example, fouls by watching the match through a television. The VAR can overrule decisions made by the referee as they have a better view on the game(Pfsa, 2022).
Even though this change made the game fairer, it proved to be a time-consuming process. Not for long though, as FIFA announced new AI-powered technology that will be used during the world cup this year.
One of the new technologies, namely semi-automated offside technology (SAOT), will be used for offside decisions when a potential goal is scored. A 3D map is created of the goal-scoring situation with the usage of a new high-tech football and a staggering 12 cameras. The Adidas Al Rihla ball will be equipped with a sensor that will send position data 500 times per second, which will be matched with the player’s position on the camera, the sync device will track 29 points on the player’s body and pass the information 50 times per second. Afterwards, with the usage of AI technology the data will be processed. Lastly, the VAR will also look at the situation. According to Collina, a well known referee and now working for FIFA, the old VAR system needed 70 seconds to make a decision. In contrast, this new SAOT system takes 25 seconds (MacInnes, 2022).
Personally, I am a big fan of this new SAOT system. The VAR is not widely approved in the world of soccer as it ruins the traditional game. I strongly believe that integrity and fairness are two major pillars in a sport. The VAR definitely makes the game more fair. The only problem I had with the VAR was that it often took them so long to make a decision. With the introduction of the SAOT system, the time process is massively reduced. I firmly believe there is a major role for AI in the future of many sports as it can help massively with fair and quick judgment.
MacInnes, P. (2022, July 2). AI-powered technology will be used to speed up VAR offside calls at World Cup. The Guardian. Retrieved 27 September 2022, from https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/jul/01/fifa-ai-powered-technology-var-offside-world-cupPfsa, T. (2022, March 11). VAR Explained: What is it and How Does it Work? The PFSA. Retrieved 27 September 2022, from https://thepfsa.co.uk/var-explained-what-is-it-and-how-does-it-work/
Very interesting and informative blog, indeed also with a view to the coming World Cup! Hopefully this system can soon be further spread to the national competitions, so that the var can do what it’s meant to do and also take away the distrust of the fans in the system. I am personally also curious whether the technology continues to spread within soccer, for example with side line technology or even a complete robot referee. Do you think the trend of technology in football will continue and if so, whether the technology eventually has the capabilities to completely replace the referee, for example?
I am not too sure. On one hand, technology decisions are probably better than human decisions. On the other hand, the presence of a human referee is a traditional part of the game and the absence doesn’t go unnoticed
Thank you for your contribution to this blog. I think the example of using AI in VAR is a relevant and accurate depiction of the wide use of AI.
You have outlined the main advantages of the renewed technology, and I couldn’t agree more that integrity and fairness should remain two major pillars in football.
I was wondering; what is your opinion on the alleged downsides of this “gamechanger”?
ESPN states the following: “So if an offside is detected before a corner or a free kick, which hasn’t been flagged by the assistant referee, the VAR will not alert the referee and offside will not be penalised.” (Johnson, 2022). This entails that the technology will only be used when indicated by the human assistant referee along the sideline. This means that there may very well still be many discussions about whether or not players were offside. There is still tremendous room for human error. Don’t you think the FIFA should also say B, when they say A, and rely on the technology completely? They track all players, the ball, and the parameters of the field. Why are they still making use of human referees in the field?
I would argue that the human referees must remain off the field, analysing the VAR and SAOT data. Either complete adaptation of the technology or remaining where we are now.
Ofcourse, one may argue that human referees in the field remain relevant for detecting and assessing fouls. But with the amount and various angles of cameras, why can that not be done from outside the field as well? The cameras may sometimes even have a better view of the incident! This will also allow for quicker discussions between referees (same room), and thus also faster decision making.
Johnson, D. (2022, August 3). World Cup: Will semi-automated offside be the big VAR fix many hoped for? Retrieved 28-09-2022 from: https://www.espn.in/football/fifa-world-cup/story/4692793/world-cup-will-semi-automated-offside-be-the-big-var-fix-many-hoped-for
For certain, there are downsides. However I think the upsides have a bigger influence. Human refereeing is a traditional part of the game and adds something to the sport. It contributes to the entertainment value of the latter. I believe that it will take a long time to make decision fully technologically based
As someone who is not that familiar with soccer, why did FIFA decide to keep using VAR if SAOT is more precise and quick in decision making capabilities? Does VAR contain certain functionalities that SAOT does not have? But I do agree that fairness and integrity are the core pillars on which all sports should be built on. I would certainly not like seeing a human referee making a human error in his decision making that jeopardizes the chances of my favorite team winning. All in all, I really enjoyed reading a blog about an unfamiliar topic to me 🙂
Thanks for your reaction! SAOT is a new development which did not exist before so therefore it is only introduced this world cup.