UEFA recently unveiled a series of technical innovations for Euro 2024 on its official website, designed to improve the fairness and fluidity of the tournament.
new technologies
Introductions include networked match balls, semi-automatic offside technology (SAOT), and a fully upgraded video assistant referee (VAR) system.
Each match at Euro 2024 will have one Video Assistant Referee (VAR), two Assistant Video Referees (AVAR) and three Video Operators. The teams will operate from within the International Broadcasting Center (FTECH Center) in Leipzig, delivering their services via four Video Operating Rooms (VORs).
The VAR team will continuously monitor four categories of key penalties:
Goal box incident red card confusion player
The VAR team will only intervene in cases of clear error to ensure that the referee's decision is final. VAR can also consider any infringements in the attacking phase before the incident occurs. Factual decisions (e.g. offside, fouls in or outside the penalty area) will be communicated directly to the referee by VAR without the need to use the on-field screens, but the final decision remains with the referee. Information on the review process will be communicated to the spectators via the stadium screens.
For the first time, Euro 2024 will feature Adidas Connected Ball technology. This technology sends accurate ball data to the video match referee in real time and combines player position data with artificial intelligence to support semi-automatic offside technology (SAOT). The technology will help VAR referees to make quicker and more accurate decisions, significantly reducing decision-making time, particularly in offside and handball decisions.
SAOT is able to determine offside situations faster and more accurately by tracking 29 different body points of each player with 10 dedicated cameras. This system, introduced into the Champions League since 2022, integrates with the connected ball to immediately recognize the point of ball contact for offside situations.
UEFA has installed Goal Line Technology (GLT) systems in all venues at the tournament, with seven cameras deployed in each goal, using control software to track the ball in the goal area.GLT has been used in UEFA's top tournaments since 2016, and indicates whether a goal has been scored or not within one second of the action occurring, via vibrating and visual signals on each match referee's watch.
The FTECH Center is at the heart of all technical operations at UEFA EURO 2024. The Video Match Referee (VAR and AVAR) will operate on all matches via four VORs within the FTECH Center. The center receives and organizes data collected by various technologies, including optical cameras and sensors, all of which are quality controlled in real time and distributed to different applications (e.g. SAOT, Performance Analysis Portal, etc.).
These technological innovations will bring a fairer and smoother match experience to UEFA EURO 2024, improving the accuracy of referee's decisions and ensuring the fairness of the game. Fans will witness a more modern and technology-driven soccer feast.
