New Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology will be used for the first time at a FIFA World Cup, which will be held in Qatar in November 2022.
The new technology called semi-automatic offside made its debut at the opening of the group stage of the Champions League in Borussia Dortmund’s 3-1 win over Copenhagen at Signal Iduna Park in Germany on Tuesday.
The Danish team had discounted the score, but technology determined, in a few seconds, that striker Andreas Cornelius was a little ahead as shown in the unprecedented diagram of the official broadcast of the match.
The semi-automatic offside detection system detailed that Cornelius’ knee was in front of the defender, and ratified the offside noted by the game’s referee, Francois Letexier.
The tool allows the position of the players and the ball to be established at all times, facilitating the interruption of offside plays, without replacing the refree’s decision.
All UEFA competitions, including the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League, will have the system in each of the stadiums as a test mode for football’s biggest event.
How will the system that detects offside in the Qatar Cup work?
Sensor on the Ball
A sensor called the Inertial Measurement Unit, located inside the Al Rihla, the official Copa ball made by Adidas, sends data 500 times a second to the VAR room, detailing exactly when a player touches the ball.
Cameras on the Roof of Stadiums
In addition, there will be a system of 12 cameras installed under the roof of each stadium for the Qatar World Cup. They can track the ball and players on the field by detecting 29 specific points on the body, which count as an offside. All this information is sent 50 times per second and is used to calculate the exact positions of the players in the match.
3D Animation and Referee Decision
The new offside detection technology doesn’t just alert the VAR. It also generates 3D animations, which represent the game, displayed on stadium screens as well as on television channels.
