ABU
DHABI —
FIFA hopes the rolling out of its semi-automated offside technology being trialed at
the Club
World Cup will not only speed up decision-making but offer increased
clarity for football supporters.
اضافة اعلان
The optical tracking system was first tested
at last year’s Arab Cup in Qatar, and the ultimate goal is for it to be fully
in use for the World Cup in the Gulf state later this year.
Pierluigi Collina, chairman of FIFA’s referees
committee, on Wednesday told reporters VAR had proved “very successful” since
its introduction but conceded more consistency is needed.
“It’s not yet at the very, very top... the
same speed decision-making process. Being fast and being accurate don’t work
together,” Collina said at the Club World Cup in
Abu Dhabi.
“It’s important the video officials get an
accurate decision, but we are aware we need to reduce the time, particularly
with offside.”
“Sometimes it takes a bit longer to assess an
offside decision, particularly in very tight incidents,” he said.
“The goal is already celebrated, everybody is
waiting and then there is a goal disallowed, or the other way round... and then
after quite a long time there is the final decision.”
The data-driven, limb-tracking technology
relies on a series of dedicated cameras and broadcast cameras around the
stadium to give the exact position of players on the pitch, offering referees
precise information within seconds.
To provide improved accuracy, the system
currently generates 18 data points per player — tracking the various parts of
the body to create a skeletal, three-dimensional model.
The aim is to increase that to 29 for the
World Cup to provide further precision, according to the head of football
technology at FIFA, Sebastian Runge.
Once a final decision is made, the
artificial-intelligence driven technology turns the images into a 3D animation
that can be displayed on the big screen at grounds.
“By taking that data, we can enter the 3D
world and we can create animations, that can explain perfectly whether a player
was onside, how much of that player was offside or onside,” said Runge.
“We put that in an animation that will be
shared with TV and our giant screen operators and we can inform the spectators
in a clearer way on offside and onside decisions.”
More
than just a robot
Despite
the ever-growing influence of technology, FIFA insisted the match officials
will always make the final call.
A dedicated VAR assistant is responsible for
monitoring offside, checking incidents as they happen rather than waiting for a
stoppage in play.
The assistant notifies the main VAR official,
who makes the decision and then speaks to the referee.
“I know that someone called it ‘robot
offside’; it’s not. The technology is simply a tool used by human beings,” said
Collina.
“The referees and the assistant referees are
still responsible for the decision on the field of play. The
technology only
gives them valued support to make more accurate and quicker decisions.”
Collina used the example of a goal ruled out
for offside in Palmeiras’ 2-0 semi-final win over Al-Ahly on Tuesday as an area
where more can be done to keep fans fully informed.
“We were discussing before how to get the
attention of the people in the stadium because if you don’t know (the
animation) is coming... you don’t look at the giant screen,” he said.
“It’s not possible to get this image within
the same stoppage of play. It takes roughly 30 seconds, that’s why it’s shown
at the next stoppage of play.”
“Maybe we need a way to alert fans to the image on the big
screen.”
Read more Sports
.jpg)
.jpg)
