To the delight of football fans around the world, EUFA Euro 2024 has finally kicked off in Germany.
Following Scotland’s opening match versus the hosts on Friday night, England will begin their campaign against Serbia on Sunday.
Fans will hope Gareth’s Southgate’s men can go one step further than three years ago, when they were beaten on penalties in the final at Wembley.
This year, clever technology should help referees make more accurate decisions than ever.
From video replays to connected match balls and semi-automated offside technology, MailOnline takes a closer look.
From AI-powered limb-tracking to a match ball with a chip inside, here’s the innovations in use at Euro 2024 in Germany
VIDEO ASSISTANT REFEREES
Whether you love it or hate it, video assistant refereeing (VAR) is being used at Euro 2024, despite yet another season of VAR controversy in the Premier League.
VAR refers to officials behind the scenes watching instant video replays of the action at multiple angles to get insights that may have been missed by the referee.
The VAR team advise the ref on key decisions, although opponents of the system argue that this often interrupts the flow of a match as well as inviting some serious blunders of human judgement.
At all Euro 2024 matches, there will be a VAR team working at the technologies hub in Leipzig.
The team consists of the VAR (the leader and the main point of contact with the referee) and two assistant video assistant referees (AVARs) who will concentrate on following the match.
Collectively, they will constantly check for clear and obvious errors related to four ‘match-changing situations’ – goals, incidents in the penalty area, red cards and cases of mistaken identity.
If they think such an error has taken place, they can advise the referee to overturn or change a decision – but the ref has the final say.
The VAR (video assistant referee) room at the International Broadcast Centre (IBC) ahead of Euro 2024 at the grounds of the Leipzig Trade Fair centre, June 11, 2024 in Leipzig, Germany
The VAR team can advise to the referee to overturn or change a decision. The ref also has the option to watch a replay on a pitch-side monitor. Pictured, Andrew Madley at a Premier League match, September 3, 2022
As ever, information about any review process will be communicated in the stadium – but in word form on the big screens, not verbally by the ref.
Last year at the FIFA Women’s World Cup, refs spoke into a microphone to inform the crowd on decision of VAR reviews, but UEFA will not be doing this at Euro 2024, it confirmed to MailOnline.
HAWK EYE
England fans who still remember the pain of Frank Lampard’s disallowed goal in 2010 will be relieved to hear that goal line technology isn’t going anywhere.
The tech instantly determines whether the whole of the ball has crossed the goal line – proving helpful for calls that are too close for the naked human eye.
All 10 German stadiums are fitted with goal line technology systems developed by British firm Hawk-Eye Innovations or Germany firm Vieww.
Seven cameras pointing at each goal – 14 per stadium – are mounted on the roof and collectively give a precise location of the ball.
If the ball’s deemed to have crossed the goal line, an electronic message is sent to a watch-like receiver worn by the match officials, letting them know it was a goal.
Seven cameras pointing at each goal are mounted on the roof and collectively give a precise location of the ball in relation to the goal line
No goal: In football, the whole of the ball needs to cross the whole of the line for a goal to be given – but this can often be too close for the ref to call
The 10 stadiums across Germany where the games will be played
SEMI-AUTOMATED OFFSIDE TECHNOLOGY
Semi-automated offside technology is a clever AI-powered system that helps match officials come to the right decision quickly – without causing frustrating delays to gameplay.
The technology tracks players’ limbs to detect if they’re in an offside position and sends an alert to the video assistant referee (VAR).
So how does it work?
All of Euro 2024’s stadiums have 10 cameras installed that collect data on up to 29 data points on every player’s body 50 times per second.
These data points spread from the tips of a player’s feet, to their arms and the top of their head.
Using footage from the cameras, AI tracks when exactly a pass was made and what position an attacking player was in, relative to the defending players.
It determines if any part of the player was offside in half a second – and then sends an alert to the VAR operator, who can validate and confirm the information and notify the referee.
Semi-automated offside technology (pictured) is a more accurate way of determining if a player is offside than the previous method – drawing crude lines over action replays
Semi-automated offside technology is akin to goal-line technology, except that the cameras continuously track moving objects rather than the static goal line
It was successfully used at the men’s World Cup in Qatar in 2022 and the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand last year – and the Premier League will get it from next season.
CONNECTED BALL
Footballs have certainly come a long way since the sport’s modern origins in Britain in the 19th century.
At Euro 2024, the official match ball from Adidas (called ‘Fussballliebe’) will have a chip in the centre that provides ‘unprecedented insight’ into the ball’s movement.
Held aloft in the middle of the ball by a suspension system, the sensor sends data to the video operation room 500 times per second, allowing a precise detection of its location when kicked.
Here, Euro 2024’s the official match ball ‘Fussballliebe’ has a section removed to show the suspended chip at the centre
England’s Ezri Konsa heads the ball during a public open training session at Jena Stadium in Jena, Germany, Tuesday, June 11, 2024
The connected ball works in tandem with semi-automated offside technology to ensure that the position of the ball, as well as the players, can be accurately judged during crucial moments.
The sensor is powered by a rechargeable battery that’s charged by induction – the same type of wireless power transfer used for smartphones.
Fussballliebe has polyurethane skin with ‘micro and macro textures’ and a 20-piece panel exterior to enhance aerodynamics.
Printed on it are a mix of shapes and colours that represent ‘the movement of the ball and the energy of the game’, as well as the ‘vibrance that the competing nations bring to the tournament’, UEFA and Adidas said in a statement.
Connected ball technology is being used at the Euros for the first time in 2024, although it’s already been a successful part of the World Cup.
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk