The EURO 2024 ball will have technology to support VAR referees

MADRID, 15 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –

‘Adidas’ has presented this Wednesday the new official ball for EURO 2024 called ‘Fussballliebe’, whose meaning is ‘Love for football’ and which will carry technology for the first time to help the referees in the VOR room and which has a design in which the colors white, black, blue, green, orange and red are the protagonists, as well as the triangles.

Thus, for the first time in the Euro Cup, the official ball will feature ‘adidas Connected Ball’ technology, which sends precise ball data to video referees in real time. By combining player position data with AI, the innovation contributes to UEFA’s semi-automated offside technology and will be key to helping make faster decisions in matches, according to the German sports brand.

Developed in close collaboration with ‘Kinexon’, this technology can also help VAR referees identify each individual touch of the ball, reducing the time spent resolving handball and penalty incidents.

The ‘Fussballliebe’ design represents through black wing-shaped silhouettes accented with colored lines, curves and dots the movement of the ball on the field and the energy of a match. The use of red, blue, green and orange celebrates both the vibrancy that competing nations bring to the tournament and the pure simplicity of football that attracts so much love from fans around the world. Illustrations of each of the tournament’s stadiums appear on the ball next to the name of each host city.

The ball is designed for greater precision in play and its 20-piece ‘PrecisionShell’ panel shape and strategically placed relief grooves on the ball’s outer shell were meticulously researched and tested in both the lab and on the field to Control the air flow over the ball and obtain maximum precision. The outer shell is supported by the innovative ‘CTR-CORE’ inside the ball, which is designed to provide precision and consistency, allowing for fast and precise play, according to the German sports brand.