Belgium lost 0-1 to Slovakia in the 1st round of the Euro 2024 Group E match, popping the biggest cold so far in this year's Euro.
Belgium's loss had a lot to do with striker Lukaku's repeated wasted chances. In the whole match, Lukaku had 3 shots on goal, 2 shots on target, and missed 3 of his best chances.
Belgium's loss was also linked to VAR, as Lukaku had scored 2 goals in the match, but both were disallowed by VAR, once for offside and once because Openda's handball was in the first place when he touched his fingers to the soccer ball during a pass.
Lukaku also became the first player in Europa League history to have two goals in one match disallowed by VAR.
When VAR intervened for Lukaku's second goal, we saw an electrocardiogram-like "beat" in the VAR replay, a fluctuation in the signal captured by the "chip in the ball".
1
The official ball of Euro 2024 is the Adidas Fussballliebe, which means "love of soccer", and is the first official UEFA Euro 2024 soccer ball in the history of Adidas to feature Adidas' CONNECTED BALL technology.
Inside the soccer ball hangs a 500Hz Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) motion sensor, on which what we call the "chip inside the ball" is mounted.
The motion sensor senses the smallest details of the soccer ball's movement, transmitting 500 times per second to determine when the soccer ball has been touched.
The motion sensor itself has strong shock resistance, and the designer also installed a number of support columns in the ball's inner liner, the sensor is fixed in the center of the soccer ball liner, so the sensor is not affected by the impact, and will not interfere with the flight path of the soccer ball.
Since the sensor's in a completely invisible position, the sensor is charged wirelessly.
There are also 12 cameras on the roof of the stadium used in conjunction with the CONNECTED BALL technology. These 12 cameras can track 29 points on the bodies of all 22 players on the field and record 50 times per second.
At any given time it is possible to determine where a player is at the time and can generate a 3D animation for the referee to view via AI technology, or what we call Semi-Automatic Offside Recognition Technology (SAOT).
The main purpose of this innovative technology is to minimize the time it takes for the referee to view the VAR replay, allowing the referee to determine more quickly whether a player is offside and handball.
2
The smart soccer ball equipped with motion sensors is not the first time to be used in a major soccer tournament, the 2022 Qatar World Cup match ball "AL RIHLA" is also equipped with motion sensors and chips inside the ball.
World Cup group stage group H round 2, Portugal 2-0 victory over Uruguay, Portugal's first goal is suspected of C Luo rubbed the ball, but through the semi-automatic offside recognition technology and CONNECTED BALL technology, FIFA finally confirmed that the goal scorer is Bruno Fernandes.
Japan beat Spain 2-1 in the 3rd round of Group E of the World Cup group stage. Japan's second goal, whether Mitoma Kaoru went out of bounds or not when he passed the ball on the baseline was also a controversial issue.
Also relying on semi-automatic offside recognition technology and CONNECTED BALL technology, the referee confirmed that Mitoma Kaoru did not go out of bounds at the moment he touched the ball, which was only 1.88 millimeters from the baseline.
In European club competitions, the Champions League and Serie A also use semi-automatic offside recognition technology, except that neither of them use smart soccer balls fitted with sensors, so there will be no fluctuation of signals on the screen during VAR replays, which can only be determined by AI artificial intelligence.
La Liga and the Premier League have voted to use a similar system to the Semi-Automatic Offside Recognition Technology from the 2024/2025 season, but like Serie A, they won't be using sensor-equipped smart footballs for the time being.
The use of semi-automatic offside recognition and CONNECTED BALL technology also changes the relationship between players and referees.
This year, the UEFA Refereeing Committee has issued a new rule: during the Euros, only the captain of the field is allowed to discuss penalties with the referee.
If other players try to argue with the referee, clash with the referee or provoke, they risk a yellow card warning.
The only exception to this is if the captain is the goalkeeper, then he must inform the referee before the match which field player is authorized to communicate with the referee.
Roberto Rossetti, UEFA Referees' President, said, "We want to get the most out of the game with the least amount of intervention, and we are committed to protecting the image of the game and vigorously countering player pressure on referees, which must be done now to ensure a legacy for future generations."
3
Semi-automatic offside recognition technology and the use of smart soccer balls ensures the accuracy of refereeing decisions, but should Belgium's second goal really have been blown away?
Roberto Rossetti, UEFA's refereeing chairman, has explained the relationship between Connected Ball technology and handball.
"When we are not sure if the ball has made contact with the hand or arm, Connected Ball technology immediately detects when a player has made contact with the soccer ball, it will be displayed on a small screen, the broadcasters will receive the information, and thereafter a technical explanation of the call will be displayed on the stadium screen."
But there are now questions about Belgium's second goal being blown away.
From the VAR replay, Openda's fingers did touch the soccer ball first when he was scrambling for it, and the referee's decision to penalize handball was theoretically unproblematic.
However, judging from Openda's movements at the time, his fingers only slightly touched the soccer ball, not enough to change the direction of the soccer ball.
Renowned British journalist Henry Winter said, "It was a bad decision that spoiled the fun of soccer, Oponda was pushed as he ran, his hands were in their natural position and balanced and Belgium were robbed."
Martin Ziegler, chief sports reporter for The Times, said, "Belgium's goal should not have been overturned, UEFA have worked well with VAR so far, but this call gives VAR a bad name."
So, do you think Belgium's second goal should have been blown away?
