The 2022 World Cup will feature AI-powered cameras that will aid referees in making offside decisions, according to FIFA, the world’s governing body of association football.
A sensor embedded in the ball transmits its location on the field 500 times per second, while a system of 12 monitoring cameras positioned beneath stadium roofs uses machine learning to track 29 body points on players.
Software will integrate this data to create automated alerts when players engage in offside offenses, which occur when they are receiving the ball and closer to the opposing team’s goal than their second-last opponent. Officials in a nearby control center will get notifications and confirm the determination before directing referees on the field as to what call to make.
This procedure, according to FIFA, will take “a few seconds and enables the speedier and more precise determination of offside.” To “educate all spectators in the clearest possible way” of why the call was made, the data gathered by the cameras and ball will also be used to create automatic animations that can be played on screens in the stadium and during TV broadcasts.
It’s the most recent illustration of how sports have adopted automatic technology to aid referees in their choices. At the 2018 World Cup, FIFA first deployed VAR, or the video assistant referee, which enables officials to review calls using monitors on the sidelines.
Although the new method would enable officials to make “faster and more precise decisions,” Pierluigi Collina, chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, emphasized that humans, not “robots,” were still in command of the game.
Collina stated, “I know that it was called ‘robot offside,’ but it isn’t. The decision on the playing field is still the responsibility of the officials and assistant referees.
“This technology is the culmination of three years of dedicated research and testing to provide the very best for the teams, players, and fans […] and FIFA is proud of this work, as we look forward to the world seeing the benefits of semi-automated offside technology at the FIFA World Cup 2022,” said Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA.
Qatar will host the 2022 World Cup, marking it the first time an Arabic nation has ever hosted the event. The competition will take place in November and December rather than the customary summer months due to the extreme heat in Qatar.
There has been a lot of backlash over the choice of Qatar to host the World Cup. According to a Department of Justice probe, top FIFA officials were bought to give the championship to the Arab nation (narrowly beating the US itself to secure hosting rights).
Numerous investigations conducted by groups like Human Rights Watch and The Guardian also revealed that migrant laborers who were effectively treated like slaves and had their passports seized as well as their wages suspended built Qatar’s stadiums. According to a 2021 inquiry, since Qatar was given the right to host the World Cup, at least 6,500 migrant workers have perished there as a result of harsh working conditions (such as no access to water).
The opening four matches of the 2022 World Cup, which feature England vs. Iran and the United States vs. Wales, will take place on November 21. (all teams in Group B).
