Football technologies used by UEFA – Webrazzi

Footballis undoubtedly the most popular sport around the world. Because shared data shows that approximately 3.5 billion people follow football regularly, and 250 million people in more than 200 countries actively play this sport.

It would not be wrong to say that such a popular sport is now gradually getting rid of traditional methods and adapting to our age day by day with technological developments. The technologies that UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) announced that it will use especially in EURO 2024 prove this.

Let’s take a look at these technologies together.

Video Assistant Referee (VAR) System

In fact, the VAR system, which we have become very familiar with in our country recently, started to be used in the UEFA Champions League in 2019. Since then, it has become widespread in the men’s and women’s national teams, as well as in other tournaments such as the UEFA Women’s Champions League. In EURO 2024, one VAR, two assistant VARs (AVAR) and three video operators served in each match. The Football Technologies Center (FTECH Hub), established in the international broadcast center in Leipzig, served all matches with four separate Video Operations Rooms (VOR).

VAR’s review areas include actions such as goals, incidents in the penalty area, and red cards. The VAR team only intervenes for obvious errors and the referee’s decision is final. The referee can make an inspection on the side of the field if necessary.

Linked Ball Technology

The official Adidas match ball used at EURO 2024 featured connected technology that could transmit real-time data. Ball data supported Semi-Automatic Offside Technology (SAOT) by combining artificial intelligence with player position information. In this context, faster solutions were offered for handball and penalty decisions.

Semi-Automatic Offside Technology (SAOT)

This system, introduced in the UEFA Champions League in 2022, enables offside decisions to be made faster and more accurately.

How Does It Work?

10 special cameras installed in the stadiums monitor 29 different body points of each player. The system, which works integrated with connected ball technology, can directly detect the moment of ball contact.

Goal Line Technology (GLT)

In this technology, 7 cameras are used for each goal. Whether the ball crosses the goal line or not is reported within a second by a vibration and visual signal sent to the referees’ watch. It should also be noted that this system has been used in UEFA’s top-level club and national team tournaments since 2016.

Football Technologies Center (FTECH Hub)

The role of the center is to be the center of technological operations of the EURO 2024 tournament. Because VAR, SAOT, GLT and all other data collection and analysis processes were managed here. All collected data was subjected to quality control and distributed to analysis platforms.

Use of artificial intelligence in EURO 2024

Artificial intelligence came into play in many areas of the tournament, from player selection to ticketing processes. Before the tournament, artificial intelligence technology was used in the squad selection of the teams, to analyze player performances and to determine which players were best prepared for the tournament. Additionally, ticket purchasing processes for fans have been accelerated with artificial intelligence-supported systems, thus making the audience’s experience more seamless. At the same time, the statistics of the teams were analyzed with artificial intelligence.

UEFA Innovation Center

In addition to all these, UEFA aimed to keep up with the rapidly changing dynamics of European football by establishing the UEFA innovation hub in 2018 to develop innovative solutions. This center offers innovative approaches to challenges faced on and off the field.

Through its partnerships with startups, academic institutions and the business world, UEFA brings together the expertise of the public and private sectors to develop high-impact innovations that will benefit European football and society.

UEFA’s innovation center works to predict the power shaping the future of European football and to ensure that UEFA and other stakeholders make innovations compatible with their strategic goals.

Why is the use of technology important in football?

When we look at all this, we see that football and technology are now more integrated than before. The use of technology in football enables the game to be managed more fairly, faster and more accurately. By minimizing referee errors, it helps players and teams compete on more equal terms. Additionally, it makes it possible for viewers to analyze the matches in more depth and follow them with pleasure.

Technological innovations are revolutionizing not only football but also the fan experience. Therefore, the role of technology in football becomes more important day by day and becomes one of the most critical elements shaping the future of sports.