[News Terms] The Science That Decides Heaven and Hell, VAR

Combination of Inertial Measurement Sensors and Ultra-Precision Tracking Systems

On the afternoon of the 1st (local time), the Group E third match between Japan and Spain in the 2022 Qatar World Cup group stage was held at Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar. After Tanaka Ao of Japan scored the go-ahead goal and it was confirmed by VAR review, he celebrated.

The boundary between hell and heaven is determined not by theology but by science. At least on the sports field, that is the case.

Japan's 2-1 victory over Spain at the 2022 FIFA Qatar World Cup is called a 'miracle.' The miracle was confirmed by Video Assistant Referee (VAR).

On the 2nd (Korean time), the Group E third match between Japan and Spain held at Khalifa International Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, became a game where VAR effectively decided the outcome.

In the 6th minute of the second half, with the score tied 1-1, during the scoring situation that made it 2-1, just before Kaoru Mitoma crossed the ball, it appeared that the ball had gone out of bounds.

VAR was conducted regarding this, and ultimately, the ruling was that the ball had not completely gone out of bounds but was still in play, so Japan's goal was recognized.

◆VAR Saves Japan... Advances to Round of 16

Japan leveraged this goal to win 2-1 and advanced to the Round of 16 as the top team in the group.

After the match, photos and slow-motion videos made it appear to the naked eye that the ball had gone out, and the assistant referee even raised the flag indicating the ball was out, but analysis through VAR showed the ball had touched the line.

If this goal had not been recognized and the match ended in a 1-1 draw, the Round of 16 ticket would have gone not to Japan-Spain but to Spain-Germany.

On June 27, 2018 (local time), at the Kazan Arena in Russia, during the third group stage match of Group F in the 2018 Russia World Cup between Korea and Germany, Kim Young-gwon scored a goal and is cheering.

The South Korean national football team has also experienced both joy and sorrow with VAR.

In the 2018 Russia World Cup Group F third match, Kim Young-gwon's shot in added time of the second half initially shook the German net.

The players cheered, but soon the assistant referee raised the offside flag.

Although the situation had to be followed, South Korea was in a position where victory was essential. The fateful VAR began.

After reviewing the video, referee Mark Geiger made a large square with both hands indicating VAR and then signaled that the goal was recognized.

During the VAR process, the South Korean players, unable to hide their anxiety and nervousness, embraced as if they had scored a golden goal.

◆Park Hang-seo Leading Vietnam "VAR Must Be Introduced" Also Expresses Frustration Over Wrong Calls

Wrong calls also summon VAR. Park Hang-seo, the coach leading the Vietnam national football team, expressed dissatisfaction with referee decisions and strongly requested the introduction of VAR.

In the semifinals of last December's ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Championship (Suzuki Cup), Vietnam suffered a 0-2 defeat to their 'rival' Thailand.

Vietnam, struggling after conceding two goals to Thailand's Chanathip Songkrasin in the first half, swallowed their disappointment further due to several questionable referee decisions.

According to Vietnamese media VN Express and others, at the post-match press conference, Coach Park said, "I don't want to talk more about the referees. If possible, I hope the referees watch the match again," expressing dissatisfaction.

Coach Park said, "I want to suggest to the organizing committee," adding, "The overall trend in football is pushing for the introduction of Video Assistant Referee (VAR). The Suzuki Cup is a significant tournament called the 'Southeast Asian World Cup' and has many sponsors. We need to introduce VAR to resolve these issues."

Photo by Reuters

◆VAR, a Collaboration of Inertial Measurement Sensors and Precision Judgment Systems

VAR stands for 'Video Assistant Referee.' It was introduced in the World Cup in 2018 (Russia).

It is a system that reviews the course of the game based on video footage taken by cameras, using cameras and special sensors to semi-automatically detect offsides.

It is a collaboration between a new technology called Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) and the existing precision judgment system called 'Hawk-Eye.'

FIFA inserted an IMU, which captures the ball's movement at a frequency of 500 times per second, inside the official ball 'Al Rihla' used in this tournament. The IMU transmits the ball's movement to the VAR room to vividly detect offsides.

The IMU developed by the German company Kinexon accurately determines the ball's position. Many professional sports teams use Kinexon's real-time analysis technology to generate various data such as player movements and physical changes.

Additionally, FIFA integrated the 'Hawk-Eye' system used in tennis and Major League Baseball (MLB).

Hawk-Eye uses cameras installed in the stadium to determine whether the ball is in or out by video.

Major professional tennis tournaments use the Hawk-Eye system, and the MLB office replaced the laser-based TrackMan system with the more accurate Hawk-Eye for video review.

FIFA used only Hawk-Eye at the 2018 Russia World Cup when VAR was introduced, but this time operates the tournament with semi-automatic offside judgment technology embedding IMU sensors in the ball.

The combination of IMU sensor chips and Hawk-Eye technology can measure even less than 1 mm and provides much faster VAR decisions.

The German professional football Bundesliga is already using IMU chips to run the league, and these sensor chips are wirelessly charged.