The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) is used to correct obvious or potentially contentious decisions in football. It helps make sure that important decisions are correct and supports referees to make the right calls.
But how does VAR really work in football? Here’s a simple breakdown.
Football is a game that requires many skills. It’s not just about physical strength and speed. It’s about being able to see the field, think quickly, and make decisions on the fly—all while being calm and collected.
A virtual assistant referee (VAR) system helps players stay calm and collected by providing an additional layer of safety between them and the action on the field. The VAR works by analyzing video from cameras installed around the field, looking for key moments that are important to answer questions like: “Did I catch that?” or “Did I see what happened?”
However, sometimes referees make mistakes that are not caught by spectators or TV viewers. This can lead to disagreements between players and coaches as well as fans.
A virtual assistant referee (VAR) system is used to avoid these issues by providing additional information for referees when making decisions about incidents during games.
How VAR Works
The VAR receives video footage from cameras on each goalpost in real time and makes preliminary decisions about whether or not an incident should be reviewed by a human referee. The VAR then sends this footage back to the referee who will check it out if necessary before deciding whether or not they want to overturn their original decision.
Footballers often complain about referees changing their calls during games which results in penalties being awarded against them due to bad decisions made by officials who don’t know what they’re doing!
The 2022 FIFA World Cup will be the first World Cup where semi-automated offside technology is being deployed as part of the video review system, according to the international governing body of football.
The new technology, which has been trialled at previous international games, makes use of 12 dedicated cameras positioned beneath all the roofs of the eight stadiums where the World Cup matches are being hosted and track the ball and each player in real-time. The official match ball ‘Al Rihla’ also has a sensor that transmits information to the video operating room 500 times per second, thereby transmitting precise kick point information.
This technology determines each player’s precise location on the field at all times by monitoring the data points 50 times per second. When an offside is found, the offside video operator will receive a notification.
The lead VAR will then manually verify the kick point and the offside line and inform the on-field referee of what they observed. FIFA verifies that this procedure will just take a few seconds, thereby ensuring the free-flowing nature of the game.
Once a decision has been reached, a 3D animation will be shown to the fans watching the match from the comfort of their couch as well as the displays within the electrifying atmosphere inside the stadiums. According to FIFA, this animation will exactly detail the right position of the players’ limbs at the precise instant the ball was played.
This doesn’t happen right away. it will happen at the next play stoppage after the referee makes the decision. Apart from the goal-line technological capacity of VAR, it also utilises a 14 high-speed cameras to transmit a signal to the referee’s watch within one second of the ball crossing the line if a goal was scored, relieving the VAR of having to deal with such high-pressure circumstances.
Conclusion
Now that we have gone through all the details and specifics of how the VAR works in Football, you can see how helpful this system is for refereeing Football games. With its immense support, football players should be able to play more smoothly and with more confidence than before. This makes it a benefit for everyone involved, since Football entertains millions of people every year as one of the world’s most favorite sports. On top of that, many international tournaments can be hosted safely thanks to this new addition.
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Author
Kene Samuel