The “connected ball” technology will be used for the first time at Euro 2024, featuring a motion sensor microchip capable of tracking every touch at a speed of 500 times per second.
When watching the UEFA European Championship 2024 (Euro 2024) from June 14 to July 14, fans will benefit from this new technology, similar to the snickometer technology long used in cricket, according to The Guardian. This new technology, called the “connected ball,” will assist in determining instances of handball and offside.
The Euro 2024 final will take place at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany, utilizing connected ball technology. (Photo: Fabrizio Bensch)
With connected ball technology, the game balls are equipped with a motion sensor microchip that tracks every touch at a speed of 500 times per second. This sensitivity allows it to determine whether the ball has touched anyone’s hand on its way to the goal or if a player was positioned behind the last defender at the moment the ball was played.
Kinexon, a company based in Munich, Germany, has collaborated with FIFA and Adidas for five years to produce 1,500 high-tech balls for the men’s World Cup 2022 and 1,500 for the women’s World Cup 2023. Kinexon will similarly provide game balls for Euro 2024 for men and Euro 2025 for women.
“Relying solely on a camera-based system increases the risk of error due to shutter speed, motion blur, angle, and resolution,” said Daniel Linke, head of product strategy and marketing at Kinexon. Standard broadcast cameras (used by VAR) capture footage at 50 frames per second, but the chip in Kinexon’s ball can determine when the ball is touched at a speed of 500 times per second.
“From video footage, it’s challenging to accurately identify the moment of contact because the image can be blurred or obscured. With connected ball technology, you’ll have that information instantly. It synchronizes perfectly with the video signal, within one or two milliseconds. Then, the camera system’s algorithms continuously evaluate offside situations whenever they receive a touch signal from the ball’s chip,” Linke explained.
The sensor inside the ball confirms Cristiano Ronaldo did not touch the ball during the match between Portugal and Uruguay at the World Cup 2022. (Photo: Adidas).
This microchip was successfully used in the World Cup 2022 held in Qatar, assisting VAR in making real-time decisions. One example involved a controversial goal by Portugal against Uruguay, questioning whether Cristiano Ronaldo or Bruno Fernandes was the scorer. Subsequently, Adidas, the official match ball sponsor, released a graphic similar to that used in cricket to track external forces on the ball in the form of a “heartbeat,” showing that Ronaldo did not make contact.
Now, these images will be provided to viewers whenever they are used to make crucial decisions during matches at Euro 2024. This is part of an effort to enhance transparency within UEFA, focusing on decisions made through VAR, which often aren’t clearly displayed to fans. Giant screens inside stadiums will provide technical explanations for VAR decisions. This information will also be made available for broadcast. “We have the best technologies available today,” said Roberto Rosetti, UEFA’s refereeing director.
