UEFA claims the ball that will be used at Euro 2024 will help produce faster offside and handball decisions.
The ‘Fussballliebe’ uses Adidas’ connected ball technology to send data in real time to officials, speeding up those VAR calls.
The technology knows when a touch has taken place, but not where on the body, so it’s not 100% accurate just yet. Officials will then use images from cameras, as they do now, to decide whether a handball has taken place.
“Combining player position data with artificial intelligence, the innovation contributes to Uefa’s semi-automated offside technology and will be key to supporting faster in-match decisions,” said a UEFA spokesperson.
“The technology can also help VAR officials to identify every individual touch of the ball, further reducing time spent resolving handball and penalty incidents.”