The UEFA European Championships will see the continent’s best nations compete in a group-based tournament. This will be the first event in which the official ball will include microsensors to determine whether a player has illegally touched the ball with their hands. This would lead to either a free kick or a penalty kick.
As the last few years have shown, the implementation of technology to influence the referee’s decisions at key moments has caused an ethical debate in the world of soccer. Fans and pundits alike are torn. For example, does the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) confirm whether a foul was committed? Or should we revert to simply letting human beings make the key decisions?
There is the argument that whenever the use of VAR stops the game, the momentum created by both teams stops, and the excitement of scoring a goal is postponed for at least a few minutes before it is finally confirmed. Many believe that the entertainment factor of soccer has suffered because of VAR.
Similar questions will inevitably arise as a result of this latest technology. Adidas’s Fussballiebe (the official soccer ball for Euro 2024) will include a rechargeable microchip that will provide referees with instant, precise data on whether it was handled by an outfield player during the game.
The microchip can detect up to 500 movements per second, which explains how it can sense contact from a hand. Originally, the microchip was used to assist in making key decisions regarding the offside rule during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, with many referees praising its impact.
The semi-automated offside system is another technological advancement that many of soccer’s major leagues around the world are in talks to implement in future seasons.