Since the appearance of video refereeing, viewers have become accustomed to seeing slow motion videos analyzing certain actions from every angle, particularly balls touched with the hand. Monday, as the Euro meeting between Belgium and Slovakia came to an end, the images of a possible hand from Loïs Openda, who had just been a decisive passer for Romelu Lukaku after a tumble on the left side, were accompanied by a graph at the bottom left of the screen. A costly revolution for the Red Devils, deprived of the equalizer and beaten 1-0. Explanations.
Used during this competition, the Fussballliebe (“love of football” in French) ball is equipped with a microchip. According to its supplier, the equipment manufacturer Adidas, it captures data at a rate of 500 times per second, and this data, which makes it possible to precisely and permanently locate the ball in 3D, must help in making decisions on off-targets. -game and hands. In the case of the disallowed goal, viewers were able, like the referees, to see a digital image created by this connected ball, a technology called “Connected ball”.
Data captured up to 500 times per second
The encephalogram, flat as long as the ball was in the air towards Openda, formed a peak at the moment when the Belgian striker stretched out his hand and the leather seemed to touch it. Enough to confirm the contact… which however seemed clear on one of the initial replays and even more on several broadcast later.
This decision-making aid, which made the referee change his mind since the goal had initially been awarded, does not, however, lead to binary decisions, as in the case of offside. In images from broadcaster beIN Sports, we see Turkish Halil Umut Meler watching the action six times before making his decision. Because, if Openda uses contact to straighten the ball in its course and eliminate his opponent, not all hands are whistleable and it is not the graphic, indisputable, which interested the man in black .
In its latest version, law 12 requires calling a foul in three cases: when the ball is deliberately touched, when the surface area of the body is artificially increased and when the person who touches the ball with the hand scores directly or in stride, it does not matter intentionality. Regarding the action of Loïs Openda, the first two justifications were admissible. The technology has recorded the contact, the referee retains the choice of his interpretation. On Monday, she did not smile at Belgium.
