The VAR of the future

The VAR barely has a couple of seasons expanding through football and reaching major competitions and both FIFA and Hawk-Eye, the leading company of this technology in the world, They are working on version 2.0 in order to ensure that it does more and more justice. As FIFA previously reported, they are testing an innovation in the offside system to make it automatic and more effective. It is about advancing technologically as the referees expand their experience with this tool and try to reach a more complete use in search of zero error in decision-making.

Antonio Gatto, director of Hawk-Eye in Spain, attends AS to explain what the VAR of the future in which his company works is like: “We have the world's best offside system for accuracy and speed. In the last months our engineers have worked a lot on the last jewel of the house, developing an automatic offside technology that is based on tracking players on the field and is capable of setting the line with exceptional precision in seconds. A lot of tests have already been done and the results are fantastic. “A system that puts the offside lines at every moment of the game and detects it instantly, without the need of having a VAR referee and an operator crossing the line. The FIFA has already seen the potential of this new video arbitration tool and it could be released at the next World Cup: “FIFA is very happy with the result. There would be no need for an operator in the VAR. Now we are testing it in friendlies and, although I cannot say it for sure, I hope that in one of the next big events we can see this new technology of the offside. For the next season we would like to show the world what the new Hawk-Eye tool is like. “

But this new offside system It is not the only novelty that prepares for the VAR of the future. “We have a system to automatically communicate all VOR decisions in stadiums and homes. So that the fans, through the video scoreboards and the TVs, know that it is being reviewed and decided, “reveals Gatto. There will also be news for the VAR referees:”We are working on monitoring the eyes of the referees for the screens during matches in order to improve performance. Follow the movement of the eyes and see which is the part of the screen that looks the most and shows you the angles that you see the most, the lighting is changed … We are working on it. “

But another of the great novelties that this company has is a more minimalist VAR that does not require operators: “It is a solution for smaller competitions that cannot bear the cost of a system like the one that LaLiga has.. It could be for the Belarusian league or for the Second B or the women's league. Smaller competitions with fewer cameras. Installation takes just two hours and supports up to ten cameras. We have already tried it with great success in futsal in Spain. “

Gatto also encourages LaLiga to contract the services of the goal line, a tool that is already used in the Spanish Super Cup: “I think that in such an important and prestigious competition like LaLiga You cannot make such a vital decision with a more or less assumption that the ball crossed the line or not using two fixed cameras. A goal can decide an entire league. “

Although there is an innovation that was speculated a few months ago and seems ruled out, that of the referees carrying a screen on their arm and avoid wasting time going to the monitor: “I understand that people do not like to wait long, but in a few years the career of going to the monitor will be something everyday and everyone will be used to holding their breath for a few minutes. For it it will be essential for viewers to know what is happening and what is being reviewed with an information system as applied in the Spanish Super Cup. “Although there is an option in case the communication between the field and the VAR fails, as has already happened on some occasions in Spain: “We are working to improve communication between referees with a message service that can be sent from the VOR to the clock of the referee who is in the stadium. So even if there is a communication failure, the referee always knows what is happening or is being checked“

How the current system works

While this new VAR software arrives, the current offside system will be maintained. The one now creates a 3D model of the field that allows putting an offside line in all the cameras that can be calibrated., whose calibration process takes place hours before each game. With the current system it is possible to put a vertical line to project the frontmost part of the player onto the field of play (head, shoulder, knee, foot …). The process is always the same: with the closest camera, the first point of contact with the ball is sought before making the pass (almost always with cameras that achieve 150 frames), then the best camera of the five that are found is searched. calibrated to put the vertical line of each player and then the offside lines are drawn. “Once the line is set, the system immediately clears the result on the operator and VAR monitor with the message 'Out of game' or 'Not out of gameGatto points out.

Furthermore, the person in charge of Hawk-Eye in Spain points to the speed of this system: “In the simplest cases it usually takes between 20 or 30 seconds to know if it exists out of the game, if we take longer it is because the situation is very complicated and the indication for our operators is to put precision before speed, only this way we will be sure that the line we use is always perfect. “Although the system indicates whether or not there is orsay, it will be the referee who decides: “The line is not drawn until the VAR referee decides which shot he deems best for the point of contact at the time of the pass. And it is the referee who also decides if the line is set correctly, if it should be moved to the right or left or repeat againRegarding the effectiveness of the system, he points out: “Our 3D offside line was approved by FIFA at the 2018 World Cup, passed the tests with an average precision of 43 millimeters“

But just as technology improves, so do those who take care of it. For this reason, both operators and referees train to be more efficient, make the best decisions and unify criteria: “Our relationship with Velasco Carballo, president of the CTA, and Clos Gómez, director of the VAR project, is extraordinary. We talk a lot to see where communication between VAR and operator can be improved. We look at all the mistakes and say what to do or not to do to operators and umpires. “The level of the Spanish and Italian VARs are among the best I have found. In the First Division the level of the VAR is very high, “says Antonio Gatto.