computer-assisted arbitration

Every weekend, she stirs up controversy and injustice in every football stadium in the world. offside ruleMoreover, the judging has become more complicated, and now everything is reduced to a centimeter! And since there are big sporting issues, but also economic issues behind every decision, FIFA and the various international federations use the latest technology to limit errors as much as possible.

recognized, Video judging It has been circulated for several years, but it still does not prevent evaluation errors because it isEye The man behind his screens who determines whether there is an offside or not, and who conveys the information to the referees on the field.

Life-size test a year before the World Cup

To try to find the best possible solution, FIFA will test a semi-automated systemDesigned specifically with engineers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) but also the universities of Melbourne and Zurich. The comprehensive test is taking place as of today during the Arab Cup, which is being held in Qatar. A competition that was not chosen by chance because it is a real rehearsal before the 2022 World Cup, which will be held in the same period in the same stadiums within a year.

This technology relies on 10 to 12 cameras placed under the roof From the field, it has already been tried in Europe on the side of Germany, Spain and England. These cameras track 29 data points per player, 50 times per second. They make it possible to cross the field, detecting in real time the departure of the balloon in relation to the positions of the attackers. 3D mesh because the regulations state that ” A player is in an offside position if any part of his head, torso or legs is in the opponent’s half (not including the midfield) and closer to the opponent’s goal line than the ball and the penultimate opponent.”.

Data is transmitted almost in real time

Previously, we were content to look at the feet of the player, now you have to take into account his head or chest, and the human eye is no longer enough to best estimate the position of the attacker. In fact, the cameras allow lines to be drawn on the playing field, one for the attacker at the time of the player’s departure. WLThe others are defenders. It’s more or less the same principle as for finishing an image in a testSports Games.

According to FIFA, the data collected is transmitted in near real time to the Video Arbitration Assistance (VAR) cell. There, there is now a dedicated offside referee, who will give his opinion to the match referee in a few seconds. The latter will decide whether or not the player who has been reported offside is part of the action.

« Technology is very important and useful both in the preparation before the match and in the decision-making process during matches.” Pierluigi Collina explained, The refereeing legend, now responsible for FIFA refereeing. ” In the offside case, the decision is made after analyzing not only the players’ position but also their participation in the movement. Technology – today or tomorrow – may draw a line, but assess confusion With the match remaining or with the opponent remaining in the hands of the referee. “

Which means that, unlike Goal-Line Technology, used to determine if the ball has crossed the goal line, the referee has the last word. It remains to be seen whether the two provisions will still be useful in the coming years…