The second goal disallowed Romelu Lukaku during the match between Belgium and Slovakia it was thanks… to the ball. Turkish referee Meler was in fact called back by VAR, who reported Openda’s hand touch; in addition to showing the “jailboat” image of the Leipzig player, a graphic was also transmitted which allowed the match director to detect the infringement.
A graphic resulting from the chip contained inside the official Euro 2024 ball, which features a technology called Connected Ball, created by Adidas and “exploited” by VAR not only for offside, but also for cases like this. It will also serve to clarify the authorship of some “disputed” goals, those that usually raise the question “did he touch it or not?”.
How the chip works
The ball chosen by UEFA is equipped with a suspension system in the center which houses and stabilizes a 500 Hz motion sensor, powered by a rechargeable battery. By combining player position data with artificial intelligence, the innovation contributes to UEFA’s semi-automated offside technology and is key to helping make quicker decisions during matches. The cameras (up to 29) capture the movement of the players determining the exact moment and point of contact between the player and the ball. The sensors can also determine whether the ball is touched with the hand or another part of the body.
Lukaku goal vs Belgium is the first goal in football history to be disallowed by a ‘snickometer’ 😱 pic.twitter.com/eAE19OFBnv
— All Sportz 🏀⚽ (@Allsportztv) June 17, 2024