Advancements in technology are made each day and it’s no secret that these have been applied to various sports, and this includes football too. From improving the quality of the ball used to improving the decision-making technologies, a lot has changed in modern-day football. However, nine times out of ten, technology has proven to be extremely helpful and has assisted match officials in making the right and unbiased decisions during the game. Let’s take a closer look at the technology that’s being used in modern football.

What is VIDEO ASSISTANT REFEREE (VAR)?

(source: www.premierleague.com)

The video assistant referee (VAR) is a match official in football who reviews the decisions made by the head referee on the field with the use of video footage. This is specifically in order to minimize human errors causing substantial influence on match results. VAR was introduced in football on 3rd March 2018. The role of the VAR is to assist the referee to determine whether there was an infringement that means a goal should be awarded or not. VAR plays a huge role in awarding penalties. The role of the VAR is to ensure that no  wrong decisions are made with regard to the awarding or non-awarding of a penalty kick. During direct red card incidents when the referee shows a direct red card(wrongly) to a player the VAR can review it and can cancel the decision made by the referee. If the referee cautions or sends off the wrong player, or is unsure which player should be booked then the VAR will inform the referee so that the  exact player can be disciplined.

source:www.premierleague.com

How does VAR work?

source:www.premierleague.com

VAR is a team comprising three or more people, who sit in the video operating room, where they can watch the events occurring on the ground on a number of monitors by using calibrated cameras and communicative headsets. They can view a particular incident from different angles on the monitors to come to an error-free and unbiased judgement. After an ambiguous incident happens on the  ground the referee informs the VAR  or the VAR recommends to the referee that a decision or the incident that took place should be reviewed. After that, the video footage is reviewed by the VAR, who advises the referee via communication headset about what the video shows. Then the referee decides to review the video footage on the sideline of the field of play before taking the appropriate decision, or the referee accepts the decision from the VAR and takes the rightful decision. VAR only gets involved when officials have made a 'clear and obvious error' in one of four key areas: goals, penalties, red cards and mistaken identity.

How are offsides determined using VAR and the technology used:

Source:- football-technology.fifa.com

Offsides are generally determined by the linesman or the referee but in some cases where calling the offside is too close, in those cases VAR is used to determine  offside. A two-dimensional line, which can be quickly positioned in line with the final defender for clear offside decisions, is called a GRIDLINE. It is used to determine whether the player was offside or not. Crosshairs are two lines that are positioned for the defender and attacker.The lines can also take into account parts of the body off the ground, which is shown as a 3D vertical line. The positioning of the crosshair is done manually so that the exact position of the offside line and the relevant body part can be accurately identified by the VAR. Calibrated cameras or Hawk-Eye calibrates multiple cameras to give many options when showing an offside decision. The main wide camera, both 18-yard box cameras and both goal-line cameras are calibrated properly to find out if there was an offside which led to a goal. The Hawk-Eye technology is currently owned by SONY and they hold the patent for VAR technology under FIFA.

What is goal-line technology?

source:www.premierleague.com

The use of electronic aid to determine if a goal has been scored or not is known as goal-line technology(GLT). It is a method that determines  whether the ball has completely crossed the goal line in between the goal-posts and underneath the crossbar with the assistance of electronic devices and at the same time assisting the referee in awarding a goal or not. The Goal Line Technology supports the referee in decision-making. The GLT must provide a clear indication as to whether the ball has fully crossed the line, and this information will be served to help the referee in making his final decision. GLT was first officially used in 2014.

How does GLT work and the technology behind it:

Goal Line Technology is all about precise positioning. Goal-line technology or GLT is the use of technology to determine whether the ball has crossed the goal line or not. This information is transmitted within a split second to a special watch worn by the referee to ensure an immediate response. The officials are the only ones to receive the information. Viewers can see the replay if the match organizers decide to show it. Hawk-Eye is also used in GLT, this system uses 14 high-speed cameras, seven aimed at each goal. Then the visuals that are captured by the cameras are processed by a computer that only focuses on the ball’s movement and ignores the motions of players, referees, and other objects.

The computer then recreates a virtual picture of the ball and its actual position on the computer screen. This can be viewed from all angles and with an accuracy of 3mm to 5mm, which helps the referee to decide whether it was a goal or not.

source: spyn.co

GOALREF:

source: spyn.co

The Goalref system was  tested for the first time  on December 6, 2012 , FIFA Club World Cup and it is much more economical as compared to Hawk- Eye. This makes it easier to implement GLT at the lower levels of the game .

This technology consists of  a small electronic circuit embedded inside the ball that responds to a specific frequency of electromagnetic field.The electromagnetic field is set up near the goalmouth in a plane between the goalposts and the crossbar and its strength is constantly monitored. When the ball crosses the goal line, the electromagnetic field of the circuit  changes, and the referee gets notified by a radio signal transmitted to his watch.

Even though GoalRef is more economical, most major leagues and tournaments prefer Hawk-Eye. The reason is that the Hawk- Eye Technology recreates a virtual animation of the incident. The virtual animations can be shown immediately after a goal-line incident. The Hawk-Eye visuals are way more convincing than the GoalRef technology. This helps the referee to take a clear and unbiased decision.

source:spyn.co

PRAISE & CRITICISMS:

source:www.theguardian.com

Who can forget the most popular Diego Maradona’s Hand Of God in the 1986 World Cup? With more wrong calls being made on the big stage of the beautiful game, VAR and GLT are a blessing to referees in today’s modern-day football. The introduction of VAR and GLT has changed football a lot. These technologies give the referees an opportunity to make error-free decisions. Football is a beautiful sport which brings different people together. The kind of excitement the fans have during the matches can be increased more not only by seeing your favourite team play but also by the drama and the intense situation that is created during the game due to VAR and GLT. Just think your favourite team is drawing the game 1-1 and then they score to take the lead and make it 2-1, but then the VAR intervenes and cancels the goal hence stopping your favourite team from winning the game. Such incidents create unreal drama and atmosphere around the players and the fans. Last but not least another advantage of using technology in sports is maintaining player discipline, which is a very important part of every sport. A player can be cautioned or sent off using VAR if he misbehaves or makes a dangerous tackle on his or her opponent.

source:cherwell.org

Even though there are many advantages to the use of VAR and GLT, there are also many disadvantages. The most crucial is time wastage, time is an important factor in football. We know that use of VAR and GLT  takes time because they involve proper analysis of the incident. If the VAR takes a long time to make a decision, it kills the momentum of the game and slows it. Lack of transparency is another disadvantage. Sometimes the decisions taken by the VAR officials remain between themselves and not shown to the public.

CONCLUSION:

Although the use of technology in the game is very helpful, the decisions of referees are still important. The sport relies on the experience of referees to make the right decisions during matches. Although many say that the human touch is lost,  technology like Video Assistant Referee and Goal-Line Technology is helping the referees to make firm, accurate and unbiased decisions. We can only wait and see how football will evolve in the era of  Video Assistant Referee(VAR)  and Goal-Line Technology(GLT).